Cher apologizes for George Floyd tweet that caused controversy
The singer spoke out about the trial of Derek Chauvin
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cher issued an apology to her Twitter followers after sparking controversy over a recent tweet about George Floyd amid a trial over his murder.
The singer took to Twitter after a recent tweet in which she discussed the ongoing trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of murdering Floyd when he knelt on his neck during an arrest in May of 2020. The video of the incident went viral and sparked a national reckoning with race around the world, particularly in the United States.
"Was talking With Mom & She Said ‘I Watched Trial Of Policeman Who Killed George Floyd,& Cried,'" Cher wrote in a since-deleted tweet. "I Said ‘Mom,I Know This Is Gonna Sound CRAZY,But.. I Kept Thinking .....Maybe If I’d Been There,...I Could’ve Helped."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The tweet sparked immediate debate with many sympathizing with the singer’s position while others derided her for acting like a "white savior" by feeling like she could have helped the situation with her persence.
As the backlash raged, the star addressed the controversy in a follow-up tweet noting that she resented people saying she couldn’t have an honest, emotional opinion about the trial.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cher apologized for a recent tweet about George Floyd that sparked controversy. (Bryan Steffy/Getty Images)
"Wrestled With This Twt, Because I Thought some ppl wouldn’t understand, Or Believe an Entertainer Could have Honest emotions about a human Being,suffering & Dying,even if It’s Only Shown On tv. You Don’t Know What I’ve Done,Who I Am,Or What I Believe.I CAN,I HAVE,& I WILL..HELP," she wrote.
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Hours later, though, the star took to Twitter again to issue an unequivocal apology to anyone she upset in the Black community with her words. She said that the apology was sparked after talking to a friend about the issue.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I Just got off phone With Friend Karen.Told her what Happened,& Realized,You Can Piss Ppl Off,& Hurt Them By Not Knowing Everything That’s"NOT Appropriate"To Say.I know Ppl Apologize When They’re In a Jam,BUT🤚🏼TO GOD🙏🏼,IM TRULY SORRY If I Upset AnyOne In Blk Community.I Know My❤️," she wrote.
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Cher seems to have been following the trial closely and tweeting her thoughts on it throughout last week. In a tweet from March 31, 2021, the star praised the witnesses who testified about what they saw during the more than 9 minutes in which Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck.
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"Feel So Unbelievably Sad For The Brave Ppl Who Stood Their Ground To Bear Witness,& Chronicle The Murder Of George Floyd For All The World To See," she wrote Wednesday. "These Were Americans Who Didn’t/Couldn’t Walk Away From a Fellow Human Being Having His Last Breath...Crushed Out Of His Body."