Bette Midler's Twitter Outburst Has The Internet Seeing Red
Passions were running high after, according to Fox News, Joe Manchin, Democratic Senator from West Virginia, voted against President Joe Biden's $2 trillion social spending and climate change bill, the Build Back Better Act, essentially killing the measure (via NBC News). Reportedly, Biden and Manchin made peace on a phone call, planning to revisit working together so that perhaps the act will have a future. But one person who couldn't let it go was Bette Midler, whose Twitter "outburst" left the internet seeing red.
The controversy started when the actress tweeted, "What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible. He sold us out. He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out."
Her cringeworthy comments were immediately met with backlash on Twitter, with one person writing, "Just stop...when was the last time that you were here? How many people have you met from WV? Enough with the stereotypes. I am glad that he voted against this massive spending bill, and so are the majority of the WV people." Meanwhile, someone else tweeted, "Bette Midler said what most big city Democrats believe in their heart. If you don't live where they live, and believe what they believe you are less than them, and they hate you to the core."
But the backlash didn't end there and prompted Midler to offer a lengthy apology.
Bette Midler tells West Virginia citizens she is sorry but perhaps the damage is done
After more Twitter users expressed offense at what the singer said about their state and people, Midler issued a mea culpa. "I apologize to the good people of WVA for my last outburst. I'm just seeing red; #JoeManchin and his whole family are a criminal enterprise. Is he really the best WV has to offer its own citizens? Surely there's someone there who has the state's interests at heart, not his own!" Midler tweeted.
Still, Twitter has more to say on the matter, with reporter for the New York Post, Zachary Kussin, writing, "My family from West Virginia includes graduates of Princeton, the University of Chicago and UNC Chapel Hill." Another social media user who wasn't having it with Midler's comments tweeted, "If the media were remotely fair they would be canceling @BetteMidler right now."
Someone else was not delicate with their response, tweeting, "I have news for Bette; Everybody in Hollywood is 'Rich, illiterate, and strung out.'"
Only time will tell if her tweets are forgotten or if the internet's rage will stick.