Taraji P. Henson Gets Dragged For Comparing R. Kelly To Harvey Weinstein

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20224.2K Views

Taraji P. Henson attends the 2018 Fox Network Upfront at Wollman Rink, Central Park on May 14, 2018 in New York City.

Henson didn't take into consideration that you could mute musicians on Spotify, not directors.

Taraji P. Henson attempted to have a "woke" moment on social media which undoubtedly backfired in her face. The actress faced backlash after she tried to compare the public's treatment of R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein, but was quickly reminded that the point went over her head completely.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1087835268315525120

Taraji P. Henson shared several since-deleted posts on her Instagram Story comparing the #MuteRKelly hashtag to the #MuteHarveyWeinstein hashtag. Many quickly reminded Henson that R. Kelly is a musician, thus making it feasible to mute him while Weinstein is a film executive who sits behind the scenes. However, many also revealed that Weinstein is actually facing charges for his alleged sex crimes while Kellz only has a hashtag so far.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1087814970774093824
https://twitter.com/_/status/1087790439808335872
https://twitter.com/_/status/1087806727846797313
https://twitter.com/_/status/1087855206669406208
https://twitter.com/_/status/1087843507027484674

Henson took to Twitter shortly after facing backlash for her post. "LET ME BE CLEAR R. KELLY IS GUILTY AND WRONG AND SHOULD BE MUTED PERIOD!!!!," she wrote.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1087856433033547778

Henson undoubtedly received an overwhelming amount of backlash for the post, but there were a few others who were a bit more empathetic to the point she was trying to make. One person pointed out that Henson is an actress in the film industry and the impact of Weinstein's actions have more of an impact on her than R. Kelly.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1087827705188548608
https://twitter.com/_/status/1087834552557555715

Henson's comments faced similar backlash to those of Erykah Badu who appeared to have defended Kellz at a concert. Badu later took to Twitter to clarify her tweets, which also faced public scrutiny. "I love you. Unconditionally. That doesn’t mean I support your poor choices. I want healing for you and anyone you have hurt as a result of you being hurt," she wrote.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.