Hollywood superstar Cher is facing a social media pummeling after making an ill-advised comment about the death of George Floyd, saying maybe she “could’ve helped” if only she had been there.
Cher is now facing accusations that she suffers from “white savior complex” — white people’s belief that they can solve problems for minorities. The 74-year-old pop star and actress tweeted her comment late Friday, recounting that she told her mother, ” I Kept Thinking …..Maybe If I’d Been There,…I Could’ve Helped”:
Was talking With Mom & She Said “I Watched Trial Of Policeman Who Killed George Floyd,& Cried”. I Said “Mom,I Know This Is Gonna Sound CRAZY,But.. I Kept Thinking …..Maybe If I’d Been There,…I Could’ve Helped😔
— Cher (@cher) April 3, 2021
Her comment quickly provoked mockery and accusations of white savior complex, some telling her to delete her tweet:
@cher I say this with respect:
White savior complex. Stop.— Goth Frida Kahlo (@_gothbimbo) April 3, 2021
it’s the yt saviour complex for me there’s still time to delete this… pic.twitter.com/cesoL5Ylk5
— airbender supremacy🍄 (@onychibuzo1) April 3, 2021
She's a liberal celebrity Petty, she'd sing to him and 10 more would show up and hold hands then make a million dollars off of it. They wouldn't step in mind you, they'd just be there for the photo op.
She's upset at a missed opportunity.— Julia (@juliafoolsu) April 3, 2021
That’s not even the point.
We ALL know there wasn’t a damn thing she or anyone could’ve done.
It’s the fact that she used social media to express her feelings and people are making HELLA reaches about her intentions😴
People need to stop gatekeeping others’ emotions and grow up— ErinNicole🌪 (@ErinNic258) April 3, 2021
One person compared Cher’s comment to Pepsi’s disastrous 2017 commercial about the Black Lives Matter movement, which showed Kendall Jenner achieving peace by handing a police officer a can of Pepsi:
Cher said if she would have been there: pic.twitter.com/aM0nhmcjq5
— Jessica Fyre 💫 (@TheJessieWoo) April 3, 2021
On Friday, Cher also called on white people to “stand in solidarity” with black people against states that have passed voter integrity laws. The pop star referred to those states as “Ku Klux Klan” states:
Whites Can No Longer Stand On The Side-
lines.We Must STAND In Solidarity With Our Blk
Brothers & Sisters In Every KU KLUX KLAN STATE.WE MUST🛑RACIST GOP
LAWMAKERS FROM TOTAL DOMINATION OF🇺🇸,&
DESTRUCTION OF DEMOCRATS.WE”MUST STOP”GOP BIGOTS FROM TAKING🇺🇸BACK 2 DAYS OF JIM CROW pic.twitter.com/lDc6BwKpFP— Cher (@cher) April 3, 2021
This week, Cher lashed out at Georgia over its new voter integrity law, claiming inaccurately that the law takes away voting rights of black Americans. She also called Republican lawmakers “evil” and “bigots.”
Cher was one of Hollywood’s biggest supporters of Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election. The star performed at virtual fundraisers and even hit the campaign trail in Nevada for the candidate.
On Saturday, Cher seemed to respond to the backlash her initial Floyd tweet stirred.
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
— Cher (@cher) April 3, 2021
Story cited here.