The White House’s UFC Freedom 250 event sparked controversy after a participant disparaged former first lady Michelle Obama.
Shortly after defeating fellow heavyweight Derrick Lewis on Sunday, June 14, UFC fighter Josh Hokit raised eyebrows when he declared in a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”
While the Obamas have not addressed Hokit’s comment, the White House seemingly dodged the controversial remark when spokesman Steven Cheung addressed the fight with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“[Lewis] had a great win last night,” Cheung said on Monday, June 15. “He showed toughness and the ability to pressure his opponent both on his feet and on the ground.”
While the White House may not be addressing Hokit’s comment about Obama head-on, many stars are. Keep reading to see what Hollywood is saying about the controversial remark:
Sunny Hostin
During Monday’s episode of The View, Hostin took time to slam Lewis’ comment about the former first lady.
“We won’t dignify what was said by repeating it, but you should look it up,” she told the audience during the show’s “Hot Topics” segment. “I think the reason why it’s important is because for a long time, Black women have been slurred and made to feel that they were unattractive, made to feel masculine, made to feel that they didn’t have the femininity that a white woman would have.”
Hostin continued, “The crowd laughed at the statement and the president of the United States smirked and never addressed what was said. That is beneath the dignity of the office of the president of the United States and it’s beneath the dignity of the American people.”
Jamie Foxx
Shortly after Hokit made his remarks, Foxx took to Instagram and posted a photo of Obama.
“Beautiful and accomplished…” he wrote on Sunday.
Holly Robinson Peete
“No insult can shrink a woman whose legacy is already larger than the people attacking her. #clockit 🤏🏽,” the former cohost of The Talk shared via Instagram on Monday. “My spirit was shook last night but this morning I rise 🙌🏾.”
Shane Gillis
After the event wrapped, TMZ caught up with Gillis in Washington, D.C. and asked for his thoughts on the comment.
“I didn’t love that,” Gillis shared. “I don’t like that.”
Dana White
“I understand that the Obama’s [sic] are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” the UFC boss said in a text message to Time magazine on Monday. “Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.”
Sheryl Crow
“To stay quiet means to turn a blind eye. And so I am saying this. What happened last night on the lawn of the White House was disgraceful and void of decency,” Crow wrote via her Instagram Story on Monday. “Powerful, rich people filled the lawn to watch a violent sport that ended with a vile and racist comment. All while the average Amercian cannot afford healthcare, gas and cost of living.”
She continued, “If we continue to support this kind of distraction from reality, we are no better than them. Let’s be better, America.”
Rosie O’Donnell
When asked if she saw Hokit’s controversial remark about Obama, O’Donnell told TMZ, “Yes, and that’s exactly what Trump is and that’s exactly what his fans are — racist, homophobic, un-American.”
She went on to call the White House’s UFC Freedom 250 event “disgraceful and embarrassing.”
