Keaton Jones: Who is the bullied boy who went viral? And why has his mother been accused of racism?
Who is Keaton Jones?
Keaton Jones, from Knoxville, Tennessee has captured the attention and hearts of Americans after his mother filmed a heartbreaking plea in which Keaton asks why he is the target of school bullies.
After his mother picked him up early from school on Friday, right before lunchtime, Keaton asked her to record him as he tearfully confronts his school bullies.
What was his viral plea?
In the emotional video, the young boy describes how bullies pick on him because of his nose, calling him ugly, and telling him he has no friends. Tearfully, Jones then asks the camera, “Just out of curiosity, why do they bully? What’s the point of it? Why do they find joy in taking innocent people and find a way to be mean to them? It’s not OK.
Keaton's mum posted the video on her Facebook page, where it has since been viewed over 20 million times. Keaton's plea has received an overwhelming response, even capturing the attention of some of the most respected names in Hollywood.
Receiving thousands of responses over the weekend, Keaton has since become the centre of attention for a much more positive reason.
What were the celebrity responses and messages of support?
Celebrities have gone above and beyond to assure the young boy that the bullies do not have the power to get him down, reminding him to stay strong, and offering him incredible opportunities to show him that he is special and worthy.
Millie Bobby Brown, the 13-year-old actress from Stranger Things, who tweeted, "I wanna be your friend"
Keaton, this is so accurate. Why do people do this? I think your sooo cool Keaton! I wanna be your friend ( but srsly) ur freakin awesome ❤️ https://t.co/LD7Q762bL9
— Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebbrown) December 9, 2017
Jarrett Guarantano, a quarterback for the University of Tennessee tweeted a photo of himself with Keaton, calling him his "new best bud"
So I got the chance to spend the day with my new best bud Keaton. It was unbelievable to get to know him and realize that we have a lot in common. This dude is very special and has changed my life forever. Now I have the little brother I always wanted! God bless you my man pic.twitter.com/vMHVtnf2rC
— Jarrett Guarantano✞ (@BroadwayJay2) December 11, 2017
Kelsea Ballerini, a country singer and Knoxville native, promised the next time she was in town, she would "walk into that lunchroom with you and watch the bullies say they are sorry to you."
Delanie Walker, a tight end for the Tennessee Titans, also came out in support of Keaton, offering Keaton and his family tickets to the team's New Years Eve game, in addition to recording a short video in which he reads a poem from Buddha, and tells Keaton, "You can be whoever you want to be."
Chris Evans, who plays Captain America, acted as a real-life superhero and tweeted to Keaton to "stray strong," in addition to asking him to attend the Los Angeles premiere of next year's "Avengers" movie.
Stay strong, Keaton. Don’t let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year? https://t.co/s1QwCQ3toi
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 10, 2017
Even Luke Skywalker shared a message of support.
Mark Hamill, who plays Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, tweeted, "they're just jealous because you're so smart & handsome."
Keaton-Don't waste time wondering why a bully would be so mean-They're sad people who think hurting others will make them feel better because they really don't like themselves-They're just jealous because you're so smart & handsome❤️Your friend-mh https://t.co/SUMw3OoCTm
— @HamillHimself (@HamillHimself) December 10, 2017
Proving that America can come together in support of a young boy, Keaton's video has received an incredible response, with his mom posting on Saturday that she "could not keep up with the thousands of messages pouring in."
Why is his mother being accused of being racist?
Several people claimed to have found evidence of offensive, possible racist behaviour on Ms Jones’s Facebook account.
“That viral video of #KeatonJones talking about being bullied is heartbreaking, and I feel sympathetic towards that child,” tweeted media personality Tariq Nasheed. “But his mom, Kimberly on the other hand, is a suspected racist who makes very problematic posts bullying Black protesters.”
Mr Nasheed’s tweet was accompanied by several photos appearing to show members of the Jones family standing next to a Confederate flag. The Confederacy fought to preserve slavery in America during the Civil War.
Also included in was a screenshot of a Facebook post, allegedly written by Ms Jones, telling “butt hurt Americans” to stop complaining about “metaphorical, emotional, financial, or historical blood & brokenness”.