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Celebrity

Everything that Upset the Internet this Week

By Meghan McKenna

Date December 8, 2017

It’s the weekend! And what better way to celebrate that with a round-up of this week’s buzziest controversies? From Meghan Markle and Selena Gomez to JK Rowling and Amber Heard., here’s everything that’s been shaking the web right now.

Matt Smith suggested Selena Gomez play Meghan Markle on “The Crown”

THE STORY: Matt Smith and Claire Foy, who star as a young Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth on Netflix’s hit series The Crown, were guests on Thursday night’s episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. During the show, a fan called in to ask the British actors who they’d cast as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in future seasons of The Crown. “Who’s that singer?” Smith asked in response. “Who’s the singer who goes out with Justin Bieber? Selena Gomez!”

THE REACTIONS:

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: The problem isn’t that Selena is missing acting chops to pull off the role (though that’s another argument one could make.) Matt Smith’s casting suggestion is problematic because Meghan Markle and Selena Gomez are two completely different races: Gomez is half-Latino, and Markle is half-black. This is similar to the casting controversy that surrounded Disney’s Aladdin earlier this year, with fans pushing for Indian actors to take on the Arab role. Ethnicity is not interchangeable–especially when there are plenty of talented, mix-raced women in the Hollywood pipeline to take on the coveted role of Her Royal Highness Meghan Markle.

HOW WE FEEL: ?? ?? ?? ?? ??

Trump is TIME’s Person of the Year runner-up

THE STORY: TIME‘s 2017 Person of the Year is “The Silence Breakers,” and honours Taylor Swift, Rose McGowen, Ashley Judd and all women who have spoken up against sexual misconduct this past year. Donald Trump, President of the United States and alleged sexual predator, was chosen as runner-up.

THE REACTIONS:

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: The magazine chooses the person of the year based off their impact–good or bad. For example, in 1938, Hitler was on TIME‘s Person of the Year cover, and in 1942, it was Joseph Stalin. That said, it’s not hard to understand why holding these two as honorees side by side doesn’t sit well. (Though it should be noted that within the cover story, Trump himself is mentioned eight times, as both a harasser and inspiration for women to speak out.)

HOW WE FEEL: ?‍♀️ ?

JK Rowling defends Johnny Depp

THE STORY:  In the second instalment of JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts series, Johnny Depp will take on the role of Grindelwald–as revealed in the final scene of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. This casting decision has sparked anger among Harry Potter fans, who are concerned about Depp’s history of alleged assault. In 2015, Depp’s now ex-wife Amber Heard asked for a domestic violence restraining order against Depp just a week after she filed to end their 15-month marriage, making claims that the actor had been abusive on several occasions. Last August, Depp and Heard reached a settlement out of court.

In a post on her personal website, Rowling has finally addressed the controversy: “The agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people, both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives, must be respected. Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”

THE REACTIONS:

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: When Depp and Heard reached a divorce settlement, they released a joint statement: “Our relationship was intensely passionate and, at times, volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.” Heard re-shared these words on Twitter hours after Rowling released her statement, adding: “For the record, this was our FULL joint statement.To pick & choose certain lines & quote them out of context, is not right. Women, stay strong.”

Confused? Us too. From the outside looking in, it’s not easy to pick a side in situations such as these. What’s clear is that Heard is not happy that her words have been taken out of context — and that she didn’t lie about being hurt by Depp. This should go without saying, but believe women.

HOW WE FEEL: ? 

Irish people accuse SNL of racism

THE STORY: Hollywood darling and Ireland native, Saoirse Ronana, hosted last week’s episode of Saturday Night Live. One of the episode’s sketches had Ronan play a flight attendant for the Irish airline Aer Lingus, in which she mocks her homeland with a questionable accent, abundance of dogs and a potato-only in-flight menu.

THE REACTIONS:

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Calm down everyone, it’s sketch comedy. Canadians get mocked all the time–but we’ve learned to laugh about our maple syrup loving, polar bear riding stereotypes.

HOW WE FEEL: ?  ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

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