Debra Messing defends saying she hopes Trump is ‘most popular boyfriend’ in prison
‘Let me be clear: I said nothing about LGBTQI/queer LOVE,’ the Will and Grace actress wrote
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.On Monday (14 December), Debra Messing defended a tweet from last week where she wrote that she hoped President Donald Trump would be the "most popular boyfriend" in prison.
Her tweet was swiftly denounced as homophobic by The Daily Wire, a right-wing news and opinion site.
“@realDonaldTrump you are a weak, scared, stupid, inept, negligent, vindictive, narcissistic, criminal," Messing tweeted on 9 December. "I hope you live a long life in prison where you become the most popular boyfriend to the all inmates."
The Will and Grace actress replied to The Daily Wire by clarifying that she hadn't been referring to "LGBTQI/queer LOVE."
"Let me be clear: I said nothing about LGBTQI/queer LOVE," she wrote.
“Rape is an act of violence,” she continued. "Trump has perpetrated violence on hundreds of millions of people. My hope is (and this is the first time in my life) that the tables are turned and he is the victim of perpetrators. #LGBTQIAally"
Messing frequently tweets her political opinions, having famously gotten into a social-media fued with fellow actress Susan Sarandon, who in 2016 said that a Trump victory might “bring the revolution,” as opposed to a Clinton presidency.
Last year, Trump even tagged Messing, calling out the way their professional relationship had changed, referencing a moment the actress reportedly called him "sir" at the NBC Upfronts (Both The Apprentice and Will and Grace aired on NBC around the same time).
"The thing that I think has been challenging is to see people who are in a position of privilege – who have the platform and choose not to use it," Messing told Glamour about being tagged by Trump.
"It’s something that I struggle with because I know a lot of people are making that choice because they’re scared that people won’t go to their movies, or won’t go to watch their TV shows, which is true, which will happen, but I think it just became clear to me that it was worth it to me to lose fans and to speak my truth, to speak honestly, and to use my platform to spread the words of other more intelligent people to the masses."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments