Bette Midler has issued an apology after facing backlash for calling West Virginia “poor, illiterate and strung out.”
The singer shared the angry tweet as it was revealed U.S. Senator Joe Manchin had made the decision not to support Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion “Build Back Better” spending plan, which Reuters reported “would expand the social safety net and tackle climate change.”
The actress posted Monday:
What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible. He sold us out. He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out.
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) December 20, 2021
Leaving the criticized tweet in question up, she then apologized:
I apologize to the good people of WVA for my last outburst. I’m just seeing red; #JoeManchin and his whole family are a criminal enterprise. Is he really the best WV has to offer its own citizens? Surely there’s someone there who has the state’s interests at heart, not his own!
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) December 20, 2021
That apology wasn’t quite enough for West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, though, who responded during a video address.
.@WVGovernor: "For Bette Midler to sit back and say that West Virginia 'is poor, illiterate, and strung out' […] Bette I hope you'll hear me loud and clear because I'm a fair and honest person, Bette it's cruel and it's really, really unfair." https://t.co/t1sk2VpReY pic.twitter.com/m9cTg69pPG
— The Hill (@thehill) December 23, 2021
“For Bette Midler to sit back and say that West Virginia is poor, illiterate and strung out…now really and truly, Bette, I hope you hear me loud and clear because I’m a fair and honest person. Bette, it’s cruel and it’s really, really unfair,” he said.
“You know, we’ve had a struggle just like anybody has has struggles, but just think about what we’ve done. In the last few years, we’ve become the diamond in the rough that everybody has missed,” he continued. “We have the four most beautiful seasons on the planet. Absolutely, we have the very best people and I would welcome you to come and see these people. These people really care.”
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Meghan McCain was among those slamming Midler for the comments:
People in West Virginia vote for people like him, because of people like you. https://t.co/pdKKWFNHRu
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) December 20, 2021
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See more response below.
Just stop…when was the last time that you were here? How many people have you met from WV? Enough with the stereotypes. I am glad that he voted against this massive spending bill, and so are the majority of the WV people.
— Debbie B (@ldbowman84) December 20, 2021
I would suggest that you remember there are real people at the other end of this tweet, and that shaming an entire state for things largely out of their control isn’t a great look.
— Cate (@CateIsMilesAway) December 20, 2021
You suck as a person 🤣🤣
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) December 21, 2021
I’m from WV, I’m not poor, illiterate or strung out. What I am is disgusted by this tweet and as a middle school teacher, it takes a lot to disgust me. It’s hard for me to tell my students to be better people when adults do stuff like this.
— Truth Hunter (@wvtruthhunter) December 21, 2021
This is what this lady thinks about other Americans who happen to think different than her.
Remember this when any of her movies come out and you decided to go watch/support her.Btw I have a few friends from West Virginia, they are awesome people and very far from illiterate.
— JC Mounduix (@JCMounduix) December 21, 2021
West Virginia voted in favour of Biden’s opponent, former U.S. president Donald Trump, in the 2020 presidential election. Midler is open about U.S. politics on social media and has regularly slammed Trump.
