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The Schmooze

Rob Schneider Tried to Explain the Civil Rights Movement to John Lewis — and No One Was Having It

Jewish actor Rob Schneider got blasted on Twitter yesterday after he tried to explain Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy to congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis.

The 53-year-old, best known for comedy flicks “The Animal” and “The Hot Chick,” sent out a tweet to Lewis after the activist came under social media cross-fire from President-elect Trump.

“Rep. Lewis. You are a great person. But Dr. King didn’t give in to his anger or his hurt. That is how he accomplished & won Civil Rights,” he tweeted.

Schneider, it seems, was responding to Lewis saying that he planned to boycott Trump’s inauguration. (Trump responded that the congressman was “all talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!”)

The internet did not take kindly to Schneider’s attempt to educate Lewis, who was a close friend of King, on the civil rights movement.

Meanwhile, it appeared Lewis was unconcerned/completely unaware of the whole Schneider twitter debacle. He spent Martin Luther King day tweeting out messages of love for the civil rights hero, calling him a “friend…mentor…like a big brother.”

Thea Glassman is an Associate Editor at the Forward. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @theakglassman.

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