Rob Schneider Tried to Explain the Civil Rights Movement to John Lewis — and No One Was Having It
Image by Getty
By Thea Glassman January 17, 2017
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.
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.
— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) January 16, 2017
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.
@RobSchneider naw man, you’re not the one. pic.twitter.com/UNqSKlDIA9
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) January 16, 2017
.@RobSchneider don’t whitesplain mlk to the man who literally sat at the table with mlk pic.twitter.com/oAg4VqlEb4
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) January 16, 2017
Rob Schneider lecturing @repjohnlewis is the most embarrassing thing he’s ever done. Yes, this includes The Animal.
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) January 16, 2017
Rob Schneider: known for his hot takes on racial justice pic.twitter.com/rqdVFregHJ
— Eliza Skinner (@elizaskinner) January 16, 2017
Take heed, @repjohnlewis. If there’s anyone still alive who would know what Dr. King was really like it’s @RobSchneider.
— Sonar Jose (@SonarJose) January 16, 2017
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.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was my friend, my mentor; he was like a big brother.
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) January 16, 2017
He gave his life for us. pic.twitter.com/tKtk0fvY6J
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) January 16, 2017
We honor Dr. King’s legacy through service to our community and adherence to the philosophy & discipline of nonviolence #MLKDay #goodtrouble pic.twitter.com/URVlDGT2Yq
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) January 16, 2017
Thea Glassman is an Associate Editor at the Forward. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @theakglassman.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
