2016’s most aggravating celebrity tweets and apologies
If there’s is one thing most of us can agree on, 2016 was an awful year for celebrities on social media. On Twitter, Instagram and other forms of social media they gave us all manner of posts that were offensive, self-indulgent or simply reckless, sometimes all of the above.
In many cases, celebs dug themselves in deeper trying to say they were sorry, then failed at the basic art of apologizing, which is to issue a statement that expresses genuine remorse, clears the air and allows people to move on.
This list is by no means comprehensive but that’s only because there were too many offenses to properly catalog. Also included here are posts like Steve Martin’s deleted Carrie Fisher tribute, that were not in and of themselves aggravating, but existed within a swirl of outrage taken to new levels of ridiculousness.
Here, then, is our list of some of 2016’s most infamous celebrity posts:
Steve Martin’s “sexist” tribute to Carrie Fisher
The comedian sparked a fierce debate this week about the nature of sexism after posting a tribute to the “Star Wars” actress that some found concerning. He quickly deleted it.
In the tweet, which he posted following Fisher’s death Tuesday, but later removed, he said: “When I was a young man, Carrie Fisher was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She turned out to be witty and bright as well.”
The backlash had to do with what some believed was Martin’s focus on Fisher’s physical appearance instead of her talent and work. But others jumped to Martin’s defense, saying there was nothing sexist about him complimenting a woman for both her beauty and her brains. And, still others said it was plain wrong to lash out at someone who was trying to express genuine sadness in time of national mourning. Finally, many thought people were just being WAY too sensitive.
If you were upset by Steve Martin’s tweet about Carrie Fisher, congratulations! You are officially addicted to outrage.
Now, seek help.
— Peter Cook (@_Peter_Cook) December 28, 2016
Lena Dunham’s non-apology apology for abortion comment
Many found the “Girls” creator to be an especially annoying social media presence in 2016 — with her topless selfies and her gripes to Amy Schumer, posted in her online Lenny newsletter, about how New York Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. wouldn’t talk to her at the Met Gala because, she assumed, he wasn’t interested in a woman with her kind of looks.
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But she really stuck her foot in it when she talked on her podcast about wishing she had had an abortion.
In praising herself for going out to fight for women’s reproductive rights, Dunham said on her podcast, “Now I can say that I still haven’t had an abortion, but I wish I had.”
When it came time to apologize on Instagram, she didn’t just come out and start with a simple “I’m sorry, I was wrong.” She instead wrapped up her so-called apology in a meandering, self-congratulatory rationalization that left open the question of whether she really felt remorse.
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