On February 24, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The attack — which was carried out via land, sea, and air — jeopardized the welfare of millions of innocent Ukrainians.
Since then, people around the world have come together to show support for Ukrainians, who are facing daily threats and seeking refuge. However, some celebrities managed to be insensitive when expressing support.
From bizarre to downright inappropriate, here are 14 celeb responses that definitely missed the mark:
1. On the day Russia invaded Ukraine, Andy Cohen posted a Wordle that said, "PEACE."
2. And that same day, The Weeknd tweeted this:
3. Madonna shared this clip of the Ukraine invasion, overlaid with her song, "Sorry":
4. On The View, Joy Behar said, "I'm scared of what's gonna happen to Western Europe, too. You plan a trip, you wanna go there. I've wanted to go to Italy for four years. I haven't been able to make it because of the pandemic, and now this. It's like, what's gonna happen there?"
You almost have to respect Joy Behar’s unwavering commitment toward ensuring that boomers are the most hated generation alive
5. Actor AnnaLynne McCord read an original poem, called "Dear Mister President Vladimir Putin," which included the lines, "Dear Mister President Vladimir Putin, I’m so sorry I was not your mother" and “I know how I could easily have moved in the direction of becoming a dictator myself."
Dear Mister President Vladimir Putin…
6. Twitch streamer Hasan Piker faced backlash after he preemptively tweeted this about Russia:
this is the hill i will die on. russia cannot launch an urban counter insurgency war in a neighboring country w/ 44 million ppl. with or without nato support. this is why i have been saying he won’t invade ukraine. not because of anything else. he’s a bad person not a mad one. https://t.co/Aqkv21asZL
7. Amazon Prime tweeted and then deleted this on the day of the invasion:
8. Real Housewife Vicki Gunvalson shared this alarmist Instagram post, urging Americans to start taking out cash and gathering supplies:
9. Politician and Senate candidate Lauren Witzke said she "identified with Putin's Christian values" more than Joe Biden's:
Lauren Witzke, the Delaware GOP's candidate for Senate in 2020, has nothing but praise for Putin and "his Christian nationalist nation": "I identify more with Putin's Christian values than I do with Joe Biden."
10. John Cena was criticized for tweeting this, seemingly trying to promote his new show:
If I could somehow summon the powers of a real life #Peacemaker I think this would be a great time to do so.
11. Kirstie Alley faced backlash for this now-deleted tweet about the Russia-Ukraine war being potentially fake:
12. Strictly Come Dancing star Kristina Rihanoff faced criticism for saying she doesn't care about the war and for sharing a disturbing political cartoon:
13. Footballer John Terry faced backlash and potential sanctions after he tweeted support for Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
The Best 💙💙💙 @ChelseaFC
14. And finally — and most recently — Senators Steve Daines and Marco Rubio faced backlash for posting screenshots of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on a Zoom call, which they were told not to for safety reasons:
‘Reckless ignorance’: US Senators criticised for sharing photos of Zelensky after being asked not to https://t.co/tQxVrFkFwO