Actor-comedian Orlando Jones is best known for being one of the original cast members of the television series MADtv and for his role as a 7Up spokesman.
Unfortunately, he is currently more famous for his recent tweet.
After reports of the death of Moammar Gadhafi, Jones posted the following on his Twitter page: “Libyan Rebels kill Gaddafi, if American liberals want respect they better stop listening to Aretha & kill Sarah Palin (:”
The social media world responded with condemnation of Jones' statement.
Attempting on Twitter to defend his action, he posted, “My tweet was farcical not funny or a call to action. 100 bucks 2 the 1st person who can count the # of Palin jokes about killing Democrats(:.”
Following scores of posts on his Twitter page, Jones slid over to his Facebook account to apparently try to provide a more expansive explanation.
“My job as an artist is to hold up a mirror to society. I do not decide how people feel or react to that. My tweet hit a nerve. That’s good. The fact that is has taken precedent over the serious issues that face us is not good. That’s media outlets vying for attention and ad dollars,” he wrote.
“Any anger directed at me and my right to free speech is an absolute waste of time. I am not a statesman. My comments reflect no political affiliation. It’s just me being me, in a world that will never comfortably mix political correctness with artistic expression. For that, I offer no apologies, excuses or wisdom,” Jones insisted.
However, on Thursday he sharply reversed his “no apologies” position with a post that read: “This has gotten way out of hand. The tweet I posted . . . has upset a lot of people. For this, I apologize. I pray that no harm comes to Governor Palin. I’m not a political pundit and I certainly don’t believe in murder. I think laughter is great medicine. I’d love to elevate the conversation but no one seems interested in that. So I’ll keep on going for the smiles even when I miss by a mile.”
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