Debra Messing is facing fierce backlash after she said she hopes President Donald Trump is 'the most popular boyfriend' in pri...
Debra Messing is facing fierce backlash after she said she hopes President Donald Trump is 'the most popular boyfriend' in prison.
The Will & Grace star made the remark on Twitter last week in response to a post from World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praising German Chancellor Angela Merkel for pleading with Germans to stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19.
'AMERICA. THIS is a LEADER,' Messing, 52, wrote of Merkel.
'@realDonaldTrump, you are weak, scared, stupid, inept, negligent, vindictive, narcissistic, criminal.
'I hope you live a long life in prison where you become the most popular boyfriend to the all inmates.'
Dozens of Twitter users seized on the scathing attack, branding it homophobic, ignorant and disturbing.
Messing - a vocal critic of Trump who campaigned for Joe Biden this fall - sought to defend the since-deleted tweet in a post on Monday insisting that she did not mean to offend the LGBTQIA community.
Debra Messing sparked outrage by saying that she hopes President Donald Trump is 'the most popular boyfriend' in prison
The Will & Grace star made the remark on Twitter last week in response to a post from World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praising German Chancellor Angela Merkel for pleading with Germans to stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19
'I'd like to say I have been an LGBTQIA ally for decades, and I was in no way referencing LGBTQI/queer love/sexuality,' she wrote.
'It is not my proudest moment, but 45 [Trump] has victimized 100s of millions of ppl; I had wished the tables turned on him. I apologize for the offensive way I did it.'
Messing's original comment came as a shock to some of her over 677,000 Twitter followers given her titular role on Will & Grace - one of America's first sitcoms to feature a gay lead character.
'Love you Deb but please don't bring gay sex into the equation as something derogatory,' one critic tweeted.
Messing called Trump 'weak, scared, stupid, inept, negligent, vindictive, narcissistic, criminal' in her scathing tweet
'Wow, you're quite the #homophobe. You just put a lot of gay youth at risk. Thanks for that,' another added.
'Nice "tolerance" display, especially towards the gay community,' a third wrote.
Among the more high-profile critics was Chad Felix Greene, author of the book Without Context: Evaluating the Anti-LGBT Claims Against the Trump Administration.
'I'm a gay man who was infected with HIV from rape,' Greene tweeted.
'If your mind and soul are this small, hateful and petty, you have no place to pretend you are a good person.
'Exploiting this trauma to perpetuate your insane irrational hallucinations and profound ignorance is offensive.'
Messing's original comment came as a shock to some of her over 677,000 Twitter followers given her titular role on Will & Grace - one of America's first sitcoms to feature a gay lead character. Pictured: Messing and co-star Eric McCormack
Among the more high-profile critics was Chad Felix Greene, author of the book Without Context: Evaluating the Anti-LGBT Claims Against the Trump Administration
After her apology several fans came out to defend Messing, saying that they didn't find the first tweet to be homophobic and citing her track record fighting for gay rights.
'You are one of the most caring people I know, you just said what everyone else thinks and believes,' one supporter wrote.
'This is just a smear attempt as anyone that knows you, knows you fight for the LGBTQ community!'
'Debra, as a gay man I can assure I was not offended its something many others myself included have thought or said,' another chimed in.
'I didn't find it homophobic. Funny how they want to hold everyone but our politicians to a higher standard.'
Messing sought to defend the since-deleted tweet in a post on Monday, insisting that she did not mean to offend the LGBTQIA community
Messing has long been a vocal critic of Trump and campaigned for Joe Biden this fall. She is pictured at a Ballots for Biden event in Pennsylvania on October 16
This isn't the first time Messing has sparked a social media firestorm by taking a shot at Trump.
Over the summer she incited outrage when she tweeted a meme that appeared to draw a link between Trump and Adolph Hitler.
'A dog whistle to white nationalists and Nazis,' commented Messing above the images of Trump holding a Bible on Monday and a doctored photo of Hitler holding a book.
'This is not an accident' read the caption on the two photos.
This isn't the first time Messing (pictured in New York City in April 2019) has sparked a social media firestorm by taking a shot at Trump
Messing incited outrage over the summer when she tweeted a meme that appeared to draw a link between Trump and Adolph Hitler
In August 2019 she drew the ire of Trump himself after she said that the names of donors who attended one of his fundraisers should be released.
The president responded by tweeting: 'Bad "actress" Debra The Mess Messing is in hot water. She wants to create a "Blacklist" of Trump supporters, & is being accused of McCarthyism. Is also being accused of being a Racist because of the terrible things she said about blacks and mental illness.'
He went on to demand that NBC fire Messing from the 2017 reboot of Will & Grace by comparing her to controversial actress Roseanne Barr.
'If Roseanne Barr said what she did, even being on a much higher rated show, she would have been thrown off television,' Trump wrote.
'Will Fake News NBC allow a McCarthy style Racist to continue? ABC fired Roseanne. Watch the double standard!'
NBC did not end up terminating Messing but Will & Grace came to a close this year.
In August 2019 Messing drew the ire of Trump himself after she said that the names of donors who attended one of his fundraisers should be released
Trump responded by calling for NBC to fire Messing from the 2017 reboot of Will & Grace
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