Hollywood Responds To Confederate Statue Controversy; Johnny Cash Family “Sickened” By Neo-Nazi Fan
President Donald Trump might find Confederate statues “beautiful,” but Hollywood celebrities and Beltway pundits find nothing quite so charming about the Civil War signifiers.
The fallout from last weekend’s violence in Charlottesville – prompted by the planned removal of a Robert E. Lee statue – has continued well into this week, with celebrities condemning Trump’s pro-statue stance. And in one of the most impassioned responses to the “hatred and bile” on display in Charlottesville, the family of country legend Johnny Cash has disavowed, in no uncertain terms, the neo-Nazi sporting a t-shirt bearing the name of their famous father.
In a remarkable message posted on Facebook by Cash’s daughter, singer Rosanne Cash, and shared by the likes of Jake Tapper, Paul Begala and Joey Lauren Adams, the Cash family condemned the man seen in ubiquitous news video from Charlottesville.
“We were sickened by the association,” the Cash family writes. “Johnny Cash was a man whose heart beat with the rhythm of love and social justice.” Read the full statement below.
The Cash family statement is a reminder – if anyone needed it, and apparently some do – that Cash’s groundbreaking 1960s TV variety series The Johnny Cash Show championed any number of counterculture stalwarts (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Creedence Clearwater Revival) and civil rights heroes (The Staple Singers, Ray Charles).
Scandal actor Tony Goldwyn, responding specifically to Trump’s tweet this morning (“Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments”), posted an Instagram message saying Trump “goes ALL-IN this morning with white supremacists. Not just #Sad sir. It’s an #AmericanTragedy.”
Actor Josh Charles suggests a final resting place for the statues:
Let's save the removed confederate statues and then bury them with Donald Trump whenever he passes away. He can Rest In Peace with his buds.
— Josh Charles (@MrJoshCharles) August 16, 2017
And author Anne Rice calls for impeachment…
Think about impeachment, Speaker Ryan. Think about the damage done every day by Donald Trump. Even Pence would be infinitely better. https://t.co/2Q3jswHkON
— Anne Rice (@AnneRiceAuthor) August 17, 2017
Earlier this week, LeBron James weighed in on the statue controversy:
Hate has always existed in America. Yes we know that but Donald Trump just made it fashionable again! Statues has nothing to do with us now!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 15, 2017
Former American Idol contestant Clay Aiken apologized for his prior defending of Trump, using a colorful description for his formerly clueless self:
Remember all those times I defended @realDonaldTrump and believed he was not actually racist? Well… I am a f*****g dumbass. #imsorry
— Clay Aiken (@clayaiken) August 15, 2017
Finally, here’s the full statement posted on Facebook by Rosanne Cash, retweeted by an appreciative Tapper:
God bless the family and the memory of Johnny Cash pic.twitter.com/y2pfGXZleJ
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 17, 2017
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