Last week, Wendy Williams found herself entangled in a controversy after mocking Joaquin Phoenix’s cleft lip on her show.
While discussing Joaquin Phoneix druing her “Hot Topics” segment last week, Wendy admitted she finds him “oddly attractive.”
She continued: “He’s got that good nose. It dips way down, like he’s happy with it, so so am I.”
“And when he shaves off his moustache he’s got a hairline fracture. He’s got one of those… what do you call it? Cleft lip palate.”
Wendy then proceeds to lift up the corner of her mouth with her finger to mimic a cleft lip for several seconds while the audience laughs.
Viewers were shocked and upset with Wendy’s comments and actions in mimicking a cleft lip.
Twitter users with a cleft have been speaking out on Twitter and sharing their stories and experiences.
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According to the Cleft Lip & Palate Association, a cleft lip/palate is the most common craniofacial abnormality that babies can be born with.
In fact, one in 700 babies are born with a cleft!
The CLAPA website reads: “In early pregnancy, different parts of a baby’s face develop separately and then join together. If some parts do not join properly, the baby is born with a cleft.”
“Most of the time, a cleft is caused by genetic and environmental factors coming together in a way which can’t be predicted or prevented .”
In addition to the upset, there was an immediate response from viewers to get Wendy’s show cancelled.
One petition on Change.org has over 75,000 signatures in support of her being fired.
People believe she deserves to be fired for her actions.
The petition on Change.org is on behalf of a mother who has a son with a cleft lip. The petition reads : “Kids can be cruel and as a mother of an amazing little guy who was born with complete bilateral cleft lip, hard and soft palate, I am completely disgusted that she thinks it’s ok to ridicule and make a joke out of something that is completely out of our control. “
It continues: “The hours spent worrying about the hard times ahead for him, all the days spent in the hospital and the numerous surgeries he had to go through, the blood, the pain, the day to day activities that he had to miss because of feeding tubes that he needed to be able to get liquids to his stomach instead of his lungs (complications brought on by the hard and soft cleft palate called silent aspiration). His little lungs so scared up From lung infections due to this silent aspiration. And that is only a few of the complications that can come with a cleft.”
“…she should be banned from daytime TV,” the statement concludes.
Do you think Wendy Williams’ show should cancelled?
Let us know in the comments below!
