Celebs Who Slammed Caitlyn Jenner's Cover Story
Teen actor Drake Bell issued a formal apology after he reacted to the 'Call Me Caitlyn' cover story by tweeting "Sorry...Still calling you Bruce." "I sincerely apologize for my thoughtless insensitive remarks," Bell tweeted. "I in no way meant to hurt or demean those going through a similar journey. Although my comments were made in innocence, I deeply regret the negative effect they've had on so many."
Connor Cruise
Tom Cruise's son, Connor, threw a fit on Twitter after it was announced that Caitlyn will be receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY Awards in July. "Really?? Winning the AA award for courage?? Ashton is gonna come out and yell PUNK'D," the 20-year-old wrote. He continued: "Don't get me wrong. Do what you feel like doing and don't let anyone stop you. But everyone is taking this way too seriously...There are so many more important things that should be talked about...And SO MANY MORE IMPORTANT PEOPLE that actually deserve an award." Cruise subsequently deleted his tweets after the online backlash became too prominent. However, he returned to Twitter shortly thereafter to defend his initial reaction. "Totally twisting what I said, if you read what I said I totally support being happy and am glad she is happy," Cruise wrote. "We just need to as a nation and a world get back to business and making everything a better place. Way more about the problems the world needs to solve than about her guys." Like, oh I don't know, writing offensive tweets?
Clint Eastwood
Oscar-winning director — and noted conservative — Clint Eastwood found himself in the line of fire after he made a jab at Caitlyn during a taping of Spike's Guys Choice Awards on June 6. While introducing Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Eastwood reportedly rattled off names of other athletes who became actors, including "Jim Brown and Caitlyn Somebody." Spike Senior Vice President of Communications David Schwarz has since confirmed that the "joke" (are we really going to call it that?) will not, in fact, make it to broadcast when the awards show airs on June 18. Now, if only the RNC had done the same thing to Clint's empty chair.
Caitlyn Jenner received love and support from pretty much everyone in Hollywood after the Vanity Fair cover story chronicling her transitioning first hit the Internet last week. Well, almost, anyway. In the wake of Caitlyn's announcement, a number of popular and respected celebrities actually took it upon themselves to poke fun at the now-famous cover, leading to an intense backlash in the media. We've pulled together eight of the lowest blows. Check them out, below.
Rick Reilly
Retired sports writer Rick Reilly proved he'll never have a career in stand-up comedy after posting an ill-timed and completely offensive joke at Caitlyn's expense on Twitter. "Just back from 4 months in Italy. All I wanna do is watch some Letterman, read some Simmons + see how my boy Bruce Jenner is hanging in," he wrote. Cue the crickets.
Geraldo Rivera
Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera somehow drew parallels between Caitlyn's reveal and Kim Kardashian's former marriage in a baffling, highly criticized June 2 tweet. "2 words of warning to those defending the sincerity & selfless sacrifice of Bruce Caitlyn Jenner's dramatic transformation: Kris Humphries," Rivera wrote. Okay?
Snoop Dogg
Rapper Snoop Dogg also got in trouble with his Instagram fans after posting the exact same meme to his official account. The post has since garnered over 11,000 comments, many of which were written by outraged fans.
Timbaland
Music icon Timbaland created more drama than an episode of 'Empire' when he posted a meme to his Facebook page that played off a classic line from the Eddie Murphy vehicle 'Coming to America.' "His momma named him Bruce, Imma call him Bruce," the meme said. Amid accusations of transphobia, Timbaland tried to defend his decision to share the meme by claiming he didn't actually make it and simply thought it was funny. Something tells us he's no longer laughing.
Chris Brown
Controversial R&B star Chris Brown added even more controversy to his plate after he posted a meme to his Instagram account that referred to Caitlyn as a "science project." "Shout out to Akon!" The meme reads over a picture of Akon. "He is about to supply 600 million africans with solar power. Im [sic] really upset that this isn't major news but that science project bruce jenner is #Society." The meme drew criticism from thousands of people on the Internet, including Caitlyn's daughter, Kylie. "Not very nice to say about your friends [sic] dad," Kylie — who is dating Brown's friend, Tyga — wrote from her personal Instagram account. Kylie later tweeted a message that many believed was prompted by the now infamous meme. "State what you want about the world without bashing others. Leave a positive impact," she wrote.