She also made some donations to organizations that help children with the condition.
Wendy Williams received some serious backlash this week for some comments she made about recent Golden-Globe-winner Joaquin Phoenix. During the Hot Topics segment of The Wendy Williams Show, the controversial TV host was describing how she finds Joaquin “oddly attractive” after defending Beyoncé for not standing up when he won for “Best Actor” at the award show. Wendy was describing his physical features, which resulted in a joke at his expense about his cleft palate scar. “When he shaves off his mustache, he’s got a hairline fracture, he’s got one of those — what do you call it? Cleft lip, cleft palate,” she told the audience. She then proceeded to hook her finger over her top lip in order to imitate the birth defect.
Wendy was criticized by many activists and celebrities what they called insensitive comments about people with cleft palates. A petition was even started to have Williams fired from hosting her daytime talk show. British TV personality and ambassador for the Cleft Lip and Palate Association, tweeted that she was “disgusted” by Wendy and called her joke “disgraceful.”
As Ambassador for Cleft Lip and Palate Association @CLAPACOMMUNITY I really am disgusted by this @wendywilliams.. Mimicing a cleft lip, and making a joke about it, is disgraceful. Have you any idea the pain and operations a child with cleft must go through as they grow? Please RT https://t.co/bINZItpWgI
— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) January 9, 2020
Pop icon, Cher, also took to Twitter to express her outrage, speaking about the pain children go through who are afflicted by the condition.
@WendyWilliams I Was Going To Try & Hold My Temper🤞🏻BUT IM SO F-NG ANGRY I CANT😤.
In 1985 I Made a Film Called
“MASK”‼️THROUGH THAT FILM I BECAME INVOLVED WITH CHILDREN,& ADULTS WHO HAD CRANIOFACIAL
ANOMALIES. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THESE PPL GO THROUGH‼️20+ OPERATIONS— Cher (@cher) January 16, 2020
BEFORE THEIR TEENS‼️MUCH OF THE TIME THEY ARE IN PAIN,AFRAID,BUT HAVE HOPE 🙏🏻THEY WILL LOOK NORMAL. THE💔& FEAR THEIR PARENTS GO THROUGH IS UNBEARABLE. IF YOUR MOM SAW WHAT YOU DID SHE’D BE ASHAMED. MY MOM TAUGHT ME TO LOVE & HELP PPL IN PAIN.WHO ARE U⁉️U SHOULD B FIRED
— Cher (@cher) January 16, 2020
Canadian football player Adam Bighill, whose baby boy Beau just underwent cleft palate repair surgery, joined the ranks of those upset about Wendy’s comments, claiming that they “clearly promote bullying.”
Thank you @FarhanLaljiTSN at the end of the day this is something we can all rally behind, and that’s a mission to #endbullying . @WendyWilliams comments/actions towards the cleft community clearly promotes bullying. @saints @nfl @cfl https://t.co/SPNmBkdxIn
— Adam Bighill (@Bighill44) January 15, 2020
After hearing the public’s reactions, Wendy issued an apology, speaking directly to Adam on Twitter about his son and revealing that she’d made donations to cleft palate organizations. Adam forgave Wendy and expressed his gratitude for her acts of generosity.
Thank you @WendyWilliams for your apology, your donation, and for thinking of Beau today for his surgery. I forgive you, and I encourage others to as well. I wish you all the best. https://t.co/JmYnRb8C8t
— Adam Bighill (@Bighill44) January 16, 2020
However, Cher did not buy the apology, and remained infuriated at Wendy’s actions.
APOLOGIZED🤬
THERE IS NO APOLOGY FOR
WHAT SHE DID…. & LAUGHED
ABOUT ‼️I KNOW THESE CHILDREN,& ADULTS.THEY GO THROUGH HELL,THEIR PARENTS GO THROUGH HELL‼️Fk Her Apology.
SHE WANTS TO KEEP HER JOB‼️I CANT CONTAIN MY ANGER‼️— Cher (@cher) January 16, 2020
DOES AN APOLOGY MAKE UP FOR THIS pic.twitter.com/Su0OHB8hTG
— Cher (@cher) January 16, 2020
THESE ARE THE PPL @WendyWilliams IS MAKING FUN OF. Joaquin Phoenix was a Child,& We Dont Know What He Had To Go Through. HE IS ONE OF THE GREAT ACTORS OF OUR TIME,MAGNETIC,&
MORE THAN HANDSOME‼️SHE WILL BE JUDGED FOR THIS
FOREVER pic.twitter.com/XhH8FZms3c— Cher (@cher) January 16, 2020