Ah, celebrity apologies: They come in so many varieties. There’s the “I’m sorry if anyone was offended” apology, shifting the blame. The “anyone who knows me” apology, defending honor. Sometimes, there are even heartfelt, genuine apologies, when someone knows it’s in their best interests to grovel.
The last option is rare, usually because the stars don’t feel like they did anything wrong. Honestly, sometimes, they didn’t. It was particularly busy last week in Celebrity Apology World, so let’s break a few down.
Emily Blunt
What happened: The actress, on a press tour for her new thriller “Sicario,” chatted with the Hollywood Reporter at the Toronto International Film Festival. The reporter asked her about Donald Trump. She joked: “I became an American citizen recently, and that night, we watched the Republican debate, and I thought, ‘This was a terrible mistake. What have I done?’”
The backlash: Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” hosts were extremely offended, which triggered more criticism. “Congratulations. You’re an American citizen and you’re very unhappy,” Brian Kilmeade said. Anna Kooiman asked: “Why don’t you leave Hollywood, California, and let some American women take on the roles that you’re getting, because Americans are watching your movies and lining your pockets?” Steve Doocy explained that Blunt “just Dixie Chick-ed herself” and “alienated half the country.”
The apology: Thursday morning, Blunt appeared on the “Today” show with Savannah Guthrie, who gently brought up the issue. “It was so not the intention to hurt anybody or cause any offense. So I really apologize to those that I caused offense,” Blunt said. “It was just an offhand joke. I think I’ll probably leave the political jokes to late-night or something.”
Matt Damon
What happened: The actor appeared in the Season 4 premiere of “Project Greenlight,” his newly revived series where he, Ben Affleck and a group of producers choose a new filmmaker to create a movie. During a discussion among the show’s producers about which director should helm the script they selected, “Dear White People” producer Effie Brown urged they consider a director who would grasp the nuances of the only black character in the film. This led to some back-and-forth until Damon interrupted her and said, “When we’re talking about diversity, you do it in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show.” He later added, “It seems like you would undermine what the competition is supposed to be about, which is about giving somebody this job based entirely on merit.”
The backlash: The Jezebel headline sums it up (“Matt Damon Interrupts Successful Black Woman Filmmaker to Explain Diversity to Her”) and tweets like this:
“Matt Damon speaking over the only black person in the room so he can explain diversity to her is SO WHITE it hurts”
The apology: “I believe deeply that there need to be more diverse filmmakers making movies,” Damon said in a statement a few days later. “My comments were part of a much broader conversation about diversity in Hollywood and the fundamental nature of ‘Project Greenlight’ which did not make the show. I am sorry that they offended some people, but, at the very least, I am happy that they started a conversation about diversity in Hollywood. That is an ongoing conversation that we all should be having.”
‘The View’
What happened: During the talent portion of the Miss America pageant, Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson, a nurse, dressed in her scrubs and stethoscope and delivered an emotional monologue about connecting with an Alzheimer’s patient. This did not impress Michelle Collins of “The View,” who mocked the performance Sept. 14: “I was like, that is not a real talent … I swear to God, it was hilarious,” she said.
Joy Behar made matters worse when she added “Why does she have a doctor’s stethoscope?”
The backlash: Nurses of the world were very unhappy. Thousands signed a digital petition and lit up social media.
The apology: Technically, it was more of a clarification: On Wednesday’s show, Collins explained that her words were taken out of context and misconstrued — she insisted she is very grateful to nurses and their hard work.
Behar admitted the stethoscope comment was “stupid and inattentive,” and that she didn’t even realize the contestant was a nurse in real life. Moderator Whoopi Goldberg reiterated that they were obviously joking, and advised the audience listen more closely next time.
The second apology: Sensing people were still upset, this happened on “The View” on Friday: The co-hosts sat down with real-life nurses (!) to hear more about their jobs.
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