Following news reports of the death of Debbie Reynolds, one day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher, actor Charlie Sheen published a prayer on Twitter, asking God to kill off another celebrity quickly. Which celebrity? President-elect Donald Trump.
Yes, Sheen seriously tweeted a simple prayer: “Dear God, Trump next, please! (x6)” The tweet ended with a middle finger emoji and a copyright symbol, as though others would gladly repeat the same prayer.
Dear God;
Trump next, please!
Trump next, please!
Trump next, please!
Trump next, please!
Trump next, please!
Trump next, please!🖕🏾
©
— Charlie Sheen (@charliesheen) December 29, 2016
The tweet quickly went viral, racking up 22,000 retweets and 40,000 “likes.” Some users responded with a profanity-laden “amen,” while another promised forever “to eat all my veggies” if God would take Pence and the rest of Trump’s cabinet as well.
@Me4Hillary throw in Pence and the rest of the cabinet and I forever promise to eat all my veggies
— Vic 🍩 (@vicsepulveda) December 29, 2016
Another posted a .gif of Hillary Clinton nodding a silent agreement.
— Jeff Needles (@jsneedles) December 29, 2016
Nevertheless, Sheen received more outrage than support.
wishing his death? really? how low can you people be?
— Lenya (@lenyanw) December 29, 2016
One married father of three had a very classy response: “No matter how bad life gets, I never actively root for someone to die. That is a truly evil soul.”
no matter how bad life gets, I never actively root for someone to die. That is a truly evil soul.
— Forty-two (42)🚫👍 (@npthree) December 29, 2016
Joseph Steinberg, a tech author, pointed out that Sheen’s quote could be seen as offensive — to God! Does God need repetition? And isn’t Sheen giving God the middle finger?
1) *Highly* offensive, inappropriate, & unpatriotic 2) Does God need repetition to hear? 3) You gave the middle finger to God.
— Joseph Steinberg (@JosephSteinberg) December 29, 2016
One woman said that even though she vehemently disagreed with President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, she would never wish death upon them.
https://twitter.com/peddoc63/status/814506460705067008
Now, Sheen is known for this kind of off-color humor. His two hit shows, Two and a Half Men (2003-2011) and Anger Management (2012-2014), portray Sheen as an angry, offensive man who is nonetheless lovable. This viral tweet fits his screen personality and helps to build (or tarnish?) his brand.
Also, there can be less offensive off-color political jokes about Carrie Fisher’s death. In this meme, featuring Princess Leia with her classic blaster, the text reads, “Said she wouldn’t live in Trump’s America … Kept her promise.” While a cursory Internet search does not reveal whether or not Fisher promised to leave the country if Trump became president, many celebrities did so, and Fisher did indeed criticize Trump many times, even alleging that he had used cocaine before a presidential debate.
It would not be hard to believe Fisher did promise to leave the U.S. if Trump won, and many celebrities who did so have not kept their promises. Fisher’s death could be seen — morbidly — as the rare situation where a celebrity did keep that promise.
While it is in bad taste to make such jokes, it is one thing to make light of a celebrity’s death in political terms, and quite another to pray for another celebrity to follow her in death. In his offensive tweet, Sheen didn’t just wish death on someone — he wished death on the incoming president of the United States.
You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Sheen. Surely there are more patriotic ways to promote your brand.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member