Jay Pharoah Defends Gigi Hadid, Michelle Obama in Fiery AMAs Screed
Hoards of people attacked Gigi Hadid for her “disrespectful” Melania Trump impersonation at the AMAs, but there’s one person who doesn’t think an apology is in order — Jay Pharoah.
The model’s co-host took to social media to express his frustration at the critics, stating that racist and sexist remarks made at Michelle Obama’s expense haven’t generated the same outrage.
“Everybody pump the brakes one damn minute!” Pharoah wrote in a Facebook post. “The Beautiful Flotus has been called Ape, Gorilla, Monkey, Manish, Ugly, Disgusting, ‘Not fit to be in the whitehouse’, always physically attacked by the general populous, nobody really snaps about it!”
Also Read: Gigi Hadid Apologizes for Impersonating Melania Trump at AMAs
The comedian went on to rip the logic of the uproar over his and Hadid’s performance when they were satirizing a real incident.
“At the AMA’S we exaggerated a SPEECH THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, where Melania CLEARLY PLAGIARIZED(cause that was the joke) didn’t call her ugly, manish, or anything, and everybody LOSES IT?! Really? GTFOH,” Pharoah wrote.
On Sunday, Hadid did an impersonation of Melania Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention, which contained passages plagiarized from a speech delivered by Michelle Obama years earlier. Social media quickly blasted Hadid for the impression, characterizing her as a “bully” for making fun of the soon-to-be first lady and calling her performance “cringeworthy.”
Also Read: AMAs 2016: Host Gigi Hadid Roasted for 'Cringeworthy' Performance, Melania Trump Impression
The model took to Twitter on Monday and apologized.
“I apologize to anyone that I offended and have only the best wishes for our country,” the model wrote in a handwritten note she shared via Twitter on Tuesday.
“I was honored to host the AMA’s last night and to work with some of the most respected writers in the business,” she continued. “I removed or changed anything in the script that I felt took the joke too far, and whether or not you choose to see it, what remained was done in good humor and with no bad intent.”
Related stories from TheWrap:
Gigi Hadid Apologizes for Impersonating Melania Trump at AMAs
AMAs 2016: Host Gigi Hadid Roasted for 'Cringeworthy' Performance, Melania Trump Impression
