Jennifer Esposito Slams Those Questioning Her Reaction to Ex Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga's Chemistry
Jennifer Esposito is refusing to stay silent after receiving backlash for her Instagram commentary.
Esposito came under fire after she reacted to her ex-husband Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga‘s steamy Oscars performance. With many accusing her of mocking the pair, the NCIS actress addressed her critics.
Sharing her thoughts in an Instagram video on Tuesday, Esposito, 45, claimed that her comment on David Spade‘s post — she wrote “Ha” after Spade jokingly asked if there was “any chance these 2 aren’t f—?” — was never meant in a negative way towards Cooper and Gaga.
“You know so many people have been commenting about something that I said which was like this: ‘Ha.’ That was it. And in the way that it has spread,” she began. “It was towards David Spade’s very outward statement about something about an ex, and I literally laughed at him because he was so bold in what he was saying.”
“I thought it was funny and I’m allowed to think something is funny,” she stated.
WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Esposito went on to argue that her comment was far less important than the “many things going on in our country and in our world that need attention,” and sad it was particularly hurtful that she was attacked by female followers, who claimed she only did it to “feel relevant.”
“I didn’t watch the Oscars; I don’t know what went on, I don’t care what went on,” she passionately said. “I commented on something that I thought was funny… And to find that people are making judgment calls about me or them or the people that the comment was about is really psychotic.”
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She also noted that her 2014 memoir Jennifer’s Way: My Journey with Celiac Disease — What Doctors Don’t Tell You and How You Can Learn to Live Again, in which she claimed one of her exes — although she doesn’t name who — was a “master manipulator,” was about more than a “stupid relationship” from over 10 years ago.
“My book, which was a New York Times Best Seller, based on my journey with Celiac’s Disease, after I almost died — to [make] it about something so silly and demeaning and stupid of a relationship I had 11 years ago, f— you.”
Scolding those who attacked her for their “horrible behavior”, Esposito explained why she refused to stay silent on the matter.
“If you think I’m just gonna sit quietly and not answer you because it’ll just go away,” she explained. “This is why people don’t speak up on so many situations… because I had experience with someone, I’m never allowed to say anything.”
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“I literally said, ‘Ha.’ It’s two letters and for that, you make character judgments,” Esposito continued. “I feel bad for those people who are involved on the other side of the ‘Ha’ because it wasn’t at them, and I feel bad for you if you took your time to comment on such insanity today.”
“The world is in a crazy place, please go do something positive,” she finished. “Peace.”
The actress also shared a message on Twitter shortly after learning that her short comment had caused a stir.
“so confused. I get off a flight to see a comment I made of ‘HA’ to a joke from @DavidSpade has gone wild!?. Has everyone gone mad?” she tweeted late Monday night.
“Somehow I’m insulting an X by laughing at a joke someone else made? Pls take your insanity elsewhere,” she wrote.
Cooper, 44, and Esposito wed in December 2006 but officially called it quits by May 2007, after four months of marriage. Since 2015, the actor has been dating model Irina Shayk.
Gaga, meanwhile, was engaged to agent Christian Carino until recently. Her rep confirmed to PEOPLE exclusively last Tuesday that the pair had split.
During Gaga and Cooper’s intimate Oscars performance on Sunday evening, the costars raised many eyebrows.
While on stage, the on-screen lovers shared a piano bench, singing a stripped-down take on the track cheek-to-cheek before affectionately gazing into each other’s eyes, with Cooper wrapping his arm around Gaga’s waist.
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Fans have long been enamored by their on- and off-screen chemistry, to the point where some online wanted their passionate performance on Sunday to end with a kiss.
Instead, Gaga and Cooper smiled and hugged as they walked off the stage. Their embrace continued backstage as the two were met with a swarm of claps from well-wishing production staff.
“Did I nail it?” asked Gaga. Taking in the congratulations, she looked at Cooper and said, “I’m so f—ing proud of you!”
With only a few seconds to get back to their seats, a handler disengaged Gaga from the mic-pack attached to the back of her dress — and Cooper and Gaga, side by side, made their way to their seats via the stage.
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During the commercial break following their duet, the pair came out arm-in-arm to huge cheers and another standing ovation from the entire house. Cooper kissed and hugged Shayk, 33, when he got back to his seat, and the model congratulated Gaga, whom Shayk cheered on throughout the night.
After “Shallow” won the award for Best Original Song, Gaga also sent love to Cooper in a teary acceptance speech.
“Bradley, there is not a single person on the planet that could’ve sung this song with me but you,” she said. “Thank you for believing in us, thank you so much.”
