This Is What Ken Bone Has to Say About Those Controversial Reddit Comments
In less than a week’s time, Ken Bone, a previously unknown man that rose to Internet fame following Sunday night’s Presidential debate (did you catch the Trump loom?), has gone from America’s sweetheart (no doubt thanks to his decidedly lovable appearance ― that ‘stache, tho!) to Internet villain.
Some seriously disturbing comments (since removed) from his Reddit account were ferreted out by the public, which included his support of both Jennifer Lawrence’s leaked nude photos and Trayvon Martin’s killing, as well as an admission of fraud, and suddenly, the timer on those 15 minutes seemed to be ticking faster than ever.
Now, Ken himself has something to say to his legions of disappointed fans. In an email to the New York Times, he addressed the statements in question.
First, he attempted to clarify those Trayvon Martin remarks, saying that it was actually a response to the Department of Justice release he had read, which said that the shooting had been ruled as legally justified. “Just because it was legal does not mean it was right,” he says now. “I wish Trayvon was still alive.”
With regard to his comment on the J-Law sitch, he owned up to his crudeness and apologized for it, saying, “It was a joke in poor taste made from my former anonymity. I take full responsibility for saying it. I wholeheartedly apologize and wish I could do so to her directly.” Yeahhhh, we’re gonna’ go ahead and guess that that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon, given the context of the remarks. (And PS? Just for the record, being “anonymous” doesn’t make it okay to say terrible things.)
He also says the fraud story was untrue, but then… why lie about it in the first place?
We’ve gotta’ say, we’re more confused than ever. While everybody makes mistakes, we can’t help but wonder if Ken would ever have apologized for his inappropriateness had the threads not been seen by, well, the world, and judged quite so harshly.
Then again, would any of us? What are we saying on a daily basis that we’d want to take back should we suddenly shoot to stardom and have our Internet remarks laid out for all to see? Are we always polite? Entirely PC? It certainly makes you think, doesn’t it?
Ever the optimist, Ken says that at the very least, he can use his scandal to lead by example. After all, “If I want to hold our leaders accountable for their words, then I must be accountable for mine.”
Fair enough.
Do you think Ken Bone was unfairly judged? Share over @BritandCo.
(h/t @adamconover, photo via @kenbone18 and Chip Somodevilla/Getty)