Bette Midler in Trouble for Caitlyn Jenner Tweet Deemed ‘Transphobic’

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By Thea Glassman August 22, 2016

Bette Midler landed in hot water this weekend after writing a tweet about Caitlyn Jenner that critics called transphobic.

“Now that @IAmCait has been cancelled, will she go back to being Bruce? Will Kris take him back? Do I smell a re-wedding?!” the since deleted comment read.

Midler’s tweet came after E! pulled the plug on Jenner’s reality show “I Am Cait,” due to struggling ratings.

A wave of backlash against the singer from the Twittersphere quickly followed.

.@BetteMidler @IAmCait Just shows, you can be as gay-friendly all you want, but to some, transphobia comes so easy. How tired and pathetic.

— Annie Wallace (@anniewallace) August 21, 2016

@BetteMidler This shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be transgender. Really disappointing.

— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) August 21, 2016

Midler later issued apology, writing that she “misread the temper of the times”.

DEAR FRIENDS @HRC, WHOM I HAVE ALWAYS SUPPORTED. SORRY LAST TWEET OFFENDED. AN IDLE MUSING. I SEEM TO HAVE MISREAD THE TEMPER OF THE TIMES.

— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) August 21, 2016

The onslaught of irritation only continued after that. One Twitter user calling the apology “underwhelming” and another pointed to Middler’s use of the word “him.” Others asked that people just accept her statement and move on.

This isn’t the first time the singer has clashed with the Jenner/Kardashian clan.

After Kim Kardashian posted a picture of herself without clothes, Midler quipped, “Kim Kardashian tweeted a nude selfie today. If Kim wants us to see a part of her we’ve never seen, she’s gonna have to swallow the camera.”

Thea Glassman was an associate editor for the Forward. Follow her on twitter @theakglassman.

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