Nicole Scherzinger has broken her silence after a comment she made on social media sparked backlash.
Scherzinger, 46, wrote a positive comment in response to Russell Brand’s Instagram post from Tuesday, Nov. 5, the same day as the U.S. presidential election. The singer is currently starring as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway.
In Brand’s post, he’s holding a red hat that reads “Make Jesus First Again ” and resembles former president and now president-elect Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” baseball caps. Brand, 49, captioned the post, “God Bless America.”
On Thursday, Nov. 7, social media users noticed Scherzinger’s “Where do I get this hat? 🙏🏽❤️,” comment.
Social media users quickly interpreted the message as pro-MAGA. Others criticized her for engaging with Brand, who was accused of rape, sexual assault and physical and emotional abuse by five women in September 2023. Brand has denied the allegations.
Nicole Scherzinger/Instagram
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The former Pussycat Doll singer released a statement to her Instagram Stories on Friday evening.
“I deeply apologize for the hurt caused by my recent engagement with some social media posts. When I commented on these posts, I made the mistake of not realizing that they could be easily interpreted as being politically related and I apologize to anyone who understandably reached that conclusion,” she wrote in the Nov. 8 Instagram Story.
“Many presumptions are being drawn, which do not reflect who I am, what I stand for, or who I voted for,” she continued. “Many of the marginalized communities feeling hurt and concerned by the results of the presidential election are people I care about most. I stand with them, as I always have, throughout my life and career. If you know me, you know that.”
“Like so many others, in times of adversity and uncertainty, I turn to my faith. I believed that the posts I engaged with were about encouraging people to choose love and faith — ‘putting Jesus first.’ For me Christ embodies peace, compassion, hope, and above all — unconditional love, especially for those who may feel it the least right now.”
She concluded, “I come from a place of love, and I will always support values that bring us closer together. It’s so important we come together with compassion, and love one another more now than ever.”
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