Skip to main content

Shaun White Apologizes to Special Olympics for ‘Insensitive’ Costume

Professional snowboarder Shaun White expressed regret after dressing up for Halloween as Simple Jack, Ben Stiller’s disabled character in the 2008 film Tropic Thunder.

Controversial Celebrity Halloween Costumes

“I owe everyone in the Special Olympics community an apology for my poor choice of Halloween costume the other night,” White, 32, wrote in a statement posted on his Twitter account on Monday, October 29. “It was a last minute decision. It was the wrong one. The Special Olympics were right to call me out on it. They do great work supporting so many athletes and I am sorry for being insensitive. Lesson learned.”

pic.twitter.com/zczNCaedAg

— Shaun White (@shaunwhite) October 29, 2018

The three-time Olympic gold medalist showed off his costume two days earlier in a since-deleted post on Instagram. The Special Olympics condemned it soon after.

Celebrity Halloween Costumes of 2018

“We are truly disappointed that Shaun White, an acclaimed Olympian, would choose this costume which is so offensive and causes so much pain,” one of the organization’s cofounders, Soeren Palumbo, said in a statement to HuffPost. “Disability is not a joke nor should it be a punchline. We hope that Shaun White and others learn that this just continues stigma, stereotypes and discrimination.”

After White apologized on Twitter, the Special Olympics replied, “Thank you @shaunwhite for listening to our community. You always have an invitation to shred with our athletes at #XGames Aspen!”

Celebrities’ Biggest Social Media Fails

Tropic Thunder was widely criticized and boycotted by disability advocacy groups around the time of its release. The action comedy repeatedly and excessively used the R-word to describe Stiller’s character.

A spokesperson for DreamWorks Pictures said in a statement to The New York Times in 2008 that the movie “satirizes Hollywood and its excesses and makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations.” The company added that it did not intend to “disparage or harm the image of individuals with disabilities.”



from Celebrity News – Us Weekly https://ift.tt/2Rq6V4S
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kaley Cuoco Spanked by Husband Karl Cook While Doing Koala Challenge

The couple that plays together, stays together! Kaley Cuoco and husband Karl Cook took their playfulness to the next level while attempting to do the latest viral craze, the koala challenge. Kaley Cuoco and Karl Cook: A Timeline of Their Relationship The Big Bang Theory   alum, 34, shared two videos of herself and her hubby, 29, trying the challenge, which involves someone moving around another person without falling or touching the ground, on Saturday, April 18. In the first video, Cuoco is on Cook’s back as she says, “Don’t drop me on my head!” “You have to participate, OK? You ready?” the equestrian responds. The 8 Simple Rules alum swings in front of Cook as she bursts out laughing. “This is scary!” she screams between laughs. Cook then puts Cuoco over his shoulder and spanks her several times as the couple struggles to perform the challenge. How Celebrity Couples Are Self-Quarantining “First (of many) MEGA FAIL’s at #thekoalachallenge with my very patient ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bachelor's Peter Weber and Kelley Flanagan Split

It’s over. Peter Weber and Kelley Flanagan are have ended their relationship, the former Bachelor announced via Instagram on Wednesday, December 31. Peter Weber and Kelley Flanagan's Relationship Timeline Read article “Love is a funny thing. It can make you you feel on top of the world and it can make you feel a pain you wish didn’t exist. I’m here to share that Kelley and I have decided to go our separate ways,” the pilot, 29, captioned a photo of the pair. “While our relationship was filled with countless beautiful memories, our relationship simply didn’t work out in the end. Kelley is someone I will always have a special love for. Someone I have learned more from than she will ever understand. Someone I am so thankful came into my life and someone who I will always wish all of life’s greatest blessings on. These moments in life always hurt, but in my opinion that shows you it was worth the time you spent together. Thank you Kelley.” Earlier this month, the Weber shared tha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Engaged! Caelynn Miller-Keyes and Dean Unglert's Relationship Timeline

Dean Unglert and Caelynn Miller-Keyes have been dubbed a Bachelor success story, but their relationship got off to a rocky start. Unglert returned to Bachelor in Paradise for season 6 during the summer of 2019 after he found himself in the middle of a messy love triangle on season 5. During his second stint on the beach , he met Miller-Keyes, who was the one wrapped up in that summer’s drama. “A long time ago, when we first started dating, there were things where I was, like, disappointed about or just upset to hear, you know what I mean, about Caelynn’s dating history ,” Unglert admitted to the former Miss North Carolina on his “Help! I Suck at Dating” podcast in November 2020. “And I was like, ‘Well, dude, if you were to flip it around and put me in the same position that I’m putting her in, I would look 20 times worse.’” He added, “So I’m not gonna sit here and be a hypocrite and be upset about something that she might or might not have done while I have done the same thing...
Post a Comment
Read more