As you’ve probably heard by now, during the telecast of the Academy Awards ceremony, satirical news site The Onion fired off the tweet: “Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a cunt, right? #Oscars2013″
The offending tweet targeted at the 9-year-old Best Actress nominee was snatched within an hour but the damage was done. With outrage pouring in at hundreds per second across social media platforms — including one blogger on Tumblr posting the email addresses of several Onion staffers suggesting they send Quvenzhané a puppy purse per retweet and favorite of the comment — actor Wendell Pierce took to his Twitter account to sound off about the potshot.
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@theonion I will never lose the ability to be offended and let anyone verbally abuse a child. Especially a child of my community in NOLA — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) February 25, 2013
@theonion Identify the writer. Let him defend that abhorrent verbal attack of a child. You call it humor I call it horrendous. — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) February 25, 2013
@thesteamer Minors have a distinction in our culture because they aren’t mature enough to let an assault like that have no impact. — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) February 25, 2013
@thesteamer We recognize a child’s development hasn’t finished. Offensive language can have a lasting impact. That is the comparison — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) February 25, 2013
Steve Hannah, The Onion’s CEO, swiftly issued a statement expressing remorse on Monday offering “my personal apology to Quvenzhané Wallis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the tweet that was circulated last night during the Oscars. It was crude and offensive — not to mention inconsistent with The Onion’s commitment to parody and satire, however biting.” The Onion has instituted stricter new procedures for Twitter and took steps to discipline the people responsible, Hannah added.
Thank you to @theonion for the apology to Quvenzhane Wallis. You have the right to satire anything or anyone. This was inappropriate. — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) February 25, 2013
@theonion Your reaction was appropriate and puts you in even higher regard of your fans. Of which I am one. Continue to push the envelop.
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) February 25, 2013