Oh, celebrities. Sometimes you seem so aloof, so larger-than-life, so dang inaccessible. But then other times, you’re on Twitter.
Social media has brought immediacy to the celebrity world. Unlike scripted interviews and pre-arranged sound bites, lots of celebrities can’t resist the chance to connect directly with their fans without the firewall that can be publicists, telling them what to say and how to say it.
“The reason that celebrities had publicists back in the beginning was that publicists could manage the voice of the celebrity,” Peter Shankman, CEO and Founder of ShankMinds Business Masterminds, tells the Press. “And welcome to the Internet! Now that no longer exists. ‘I could just post – why do I need you?’ Well, they need you because a lot of times, you’re a moron.”
Is “moron” too harsh? Check out some of our homegrown celebrities and their Twitter-fails heard ‘round the world. Then you decide.
February 3, 2011
Notorious politically and socially-aware designer Kenneth Cole uses Egypt’s violent political status to boast his new line:
“Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo – KC”
September 7, 2011
Fabulously liberal Alec Baldwin launches questionably homophobic tweet at the Starbucks guy:
“Starbucks on 93 and B’way. Uptight Queen barrista named JAY has an attitude problem.”
December 6, 2011
…Then holds up a plane full of travelers because he has NO VOWELS?!
“Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt”
January 7, 2012
Lindsay Lohan publically puts DJ girlfriend Samantha Ronson on blast, making LiLo’s crazy somehow outshine Ronson’s alleged infidelity:
“Funny how I’m rushing back to see @samantharonson when she says she’s with her step bro alone- and 2girls? That wasn’t mentioned.”
“@samantharonson caught”
September 6, 2012
Lindsay steps to the plate to speak on behalf of the 1%:
From @BarackObama: ‘”I’ve cut taxes for those who need it: middle-class families, small businesses.’ – President Obama”
“@BarackObama we also need to cut them for those that are listed on Forbes as “millionaires” if they are not, you must consider that as well”
June 27, 2013
After several brief withdrawals from the Twitterverse, 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin is back and more cringe-worthy than ever in this rampage following a story reporting that his wife had been tweeting at late James Gandolfini’s funeral. Homophobic slurs and threats and profanity—oh my.
“Someone wrote that my wife was tweeting at a funeral. Hey. That’s not true. But I’m gonna tweet at your funeral.”
“I’m gonna find you, George Stark, you toxic little queen, and I’m gonna f***…you…up.”
“If put my foot up your f****** a$$, George Stark, but I’m sure you’d dig it too much.”
And our personal favorite
“I don’t have a publicist anymore. I fired them.”
April 9, 2014
BALDWIN! AGAIN? This time attacking former aid to Mitt Romney, Garrett Jackson:
“You’re on your knees in that photo. What’s up with that, Garrett?”
“While you’re on your knees, you can polish my Emmys.”
And the latest. Anthony Cumia, of Opie and Anthony radio infamy, was fired this month from Sirius radio following this TWO HOUR Twitter rant, in which he managed to use almost all of the most offensive imagery/language we’d ever heard, outing him as not just a somewhat funny in that oh-you’re-so-inappropriate way, but as a monumentally racist and sexist bigot.
Thousands of followers rose to his defense, painting Cumia as a martyr of first amendment violations. Do they have a point?
Um. No.
“The people supporting him are claiming it’s a free speech issue,” says Shankman. “It’s not. Free speech means you’re protected from the government imposing rules against you’re being able to speak your mind. Anthony has the right to say whatever he wants and he did. And the radio station has the right to fire his ass because of it and they did.”
Was Sirius justified? You decide.
July 2, 2014
“Here’s the pic that got the whore bitch piece of cunt all pissy.”
“So, I’m taking pix in NYC & a black girl who was in frame punched me in the face. I called her a fucking “&$;;-:” cause that’s what she WAS!”
“Then she punched me 5 more times. She’s lucky I was a white legal gun owner or she’d be dead. Then 5 blacks started giving me shit!”
“I told them to back the fuck off, this wasn’t their show. The cunt then punched me again. Seems white boys don’t hit back. Lucky savage.”
“Wish a cop was around. Although she said she’d tell them I sexually harassed her. Lying cunt. I hope she gets shot in her ass fuck face. Ugh”
“They aren’t people.”
“I’m fucking livid. If I was an illegal savage I’d have shot her. The I are violence in her was so predictable. I hope she gets killed.”
“It’s a jungle out in our cities after midnight. Violent savages own the streets. They all came 2 defend this pig. I had to yell like at dogs”
“RT @tikiruss: @AnthonyCumia WTF? For no reason?
-Reason!?? I WAS WHITE!!!”
“Savage violent animal fucks prey on white people. Easy targets. This CUNT has no clue how lucky she was. She belted me 10 times. I had a gun.”
“The cunt animal kept walking into my arm I had up as a block saying “DON’T TOUCH ME!”
Then would hit me. I hope a home boy beats her to death.”
“The automatic jump to violence in that community is astounding. No discussion. It’s start punching at the least little thing. Uncivilized!!”
“The switch to violence is immediate. No discussion, just violence. When will THAT be addressed? Oh, right, never. Slavery did it? Oh, ok.”
“There’s a deep seeded problem with violence in the black community. Try to address it and you’ll be exiled to racistville. But it’s real.”
“It comes down to the idea that we’re going to have to start thinking differently,” advises Shankman. “We have to start thinking, You know what? We can’t post about anything we want because it lives forever. I think the best thing people can do is to take a break. Just stop. Stop immediately responding. Take a break. Take a deep breath.”
And just maybe, consider hiring a publicist.
