Stop Making People Apologize to Donald Trump Until He Apologizes

Cher made a joke that wasn’t in the best of taste, reverting back to the days of joking about prison rape. The joke, which has since been deleted from Twitter, insinuated that Cher wanted Trump to go to prison to be the “toy boy of Big Bubba.”

The joke was in terribly bad taste—something that Cher later recognized. While she did not apologize, she did delete the tweet and made a follow-up tweet stating why she deleted it and how she went too with her comment. So, before we jump in: Cher’s joke? Not great. Demanding that she apologize to the Donald Trump, personally, for that joke? Ridiculous.

It’s great that Cher recognized the line she crossed with this tweet, and that she took it down and owned up to that, but that has little to do with Donald Trump himself. She was adult enough to realizee the joke itself was in bad taste on a societal level. What’s great about Cher is that if she made a different joke about the president going to jail, it’d still be standing on Twitter. This deletion isn’t about the president, but about her understanding of what is not okay to joke about.

But do you know who isn’t adulting correctly? Piers Morgan and everyone crying about how that joke was mean to the president.

Kathy Griffin received death threats for her severed head joke, they tried to cancel Star Wars because they thought it had an anti-Trump message (which is hilarious seeing as Star Wars has always had an anti-fascist message, but … okay), and those are just the tip of the iceberg. But what angers me so is that everyone who says something against the president in the public eye has to issue some apology because Piers Morgan starts whining.

Want to know what the president has not apologized for? The birther rumor, the Central Park Five, and … should I keep going? Oh, he did apologize for the “grab them by the pussy” comment, but only because, politically, he had to. He wasn’t remorseful; he just wanted to win.

Everyone around the president and the president himself can say what they want and do whatever they want to do, without having to apologize. Piers Morgan’s comment on the situation is laughable because he said that if this were about Obama, Cher would never work again.

I’m sorry, but did all Trump supporters just up and forget the Obama era and the rude things people said about him? Those in the public eye specifically? Donald Trump specifically? The only difference is Obama knew how to react with dignity, while Trump whines and cries and gets his lackeys to yell at people. You know … like a bully.

But, at least Trump and his fans aren’t deterring Cher anytime soon.

I truly think that Cher did need to take down the joke, but I don’t think she owes Trump himself any kind of apology. She reacted in a way that wass honorable and was an adult about the situation. Trump’s supporters suddenly crying wolf about a prison rape joke when the president himself has condoned groping women without their consent? That’s laughable.

(image: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

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Rachel Leishman

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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