Cher Defends, Apologizes for George Floyd Tweet

Cher is responding to the backlash against her George Floyd tweet in such a way that some outlets (Page Six) are reporting her response as an apology while others (TMZ) are reporting it as a doubling down. Specifically:

• On Saturday, she tweeted that she had "wrestled" with her tweet (which expressed her belief that she may have been able to save Floyd had she been there the day former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin held a knee to his neck). "Because I Thought some ppl wouldn’t understand, Or Believe an Entertainer Could have Honest emotions about a human Being,suffering & Dying,even if It’s Only Shown On tv. You Don’t Know What I’ve Done,Who I Am,Or What I Believe.I CAN,I HAVE,& I WILL..HELP."

• She came back a couple hours later to tweet that she'd just spoken to a friend and had "Realized,You Can Piss Ppl Off,& Hurt Them By Not Knowing Everything That’s'NOT Appropriate'To Say.I know Ppl Apologize When They’re In a Jam,BUT [hand emoji] TO GOD,IM TRULY SORRY If I Upset AnyOne In Blk Community.I Know My [heart emoji]." (She had been accused of having a white savior complex after her original tweet.)

Commenters in the replies section were split between those happy to accept Cher's apology, those bemoaning "cancel culture," and those accusing her of deflecting rather than apologizing. (More Cher stories.)