Actress and singer Better Midler took a shot at Melania Trump on Twitter, posting an old modeling photo of the First Lady from a 2000 British GQ shoot with a caption many have condemned as sexist.
“The dry cleaning bill for the upholstery on Air Force One must be insane,” wrote Midler. The 72-year-old alleged feminist added a “#FLOTITS” hashtag, an intentionally adjustment acronym for “First Lady of the United States.”
The backlash was swift.
Bestselling author DC McAllister mocked Midler, captioning her vile tweet: “‘I support and respect all women.’ — Bette Midler.”
“I always loved your movies and music but I am now deleting ALL your music from my MP3 player,” wrote a former fan. “You are disgusting to say the least. Never buying a CD or watching a movie from you ever again.”
“Why are you doing this? Haven’t you had enough of bashing this poor woman? She was a model, so what. Don’t hate,” said another user. “You really just made a fool of yourself with such a catty comment. Did you feel better after posting this? That made you feel good? You should apologize.”
“Jealous, much?” accused another former fan of Midler’s. “Adored you. But now yet another Hollywoodite scratched off my list. Like when I used to adore Bill Cosby: you fell into that cravat, the ‘hole’ of ugliness: Can’t even watch award shows for the same reason, Bette: Hollywood has become so UGLY, WHINY & no class.”
Others slammed her for “body shaming.”
“Now you’ve moved on to body Shaming? You? Honestly? Is this what you want your daughter to be like as well. Teach her that if you disagree Politically that all bets are off when it comes to how you are as a human being?” said one woman.
Midler was hit with fierce backlash last month, too, after the star called women “the n-word of the world” in a now-deleted tweet directed at Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
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Midler eventually issued an apology, “The too brief investigation of allegations against Kavanaugh infuriated me,” she said. “Angrily I tweeted w/o thinking my choice of words would be enraging to black women who doubly suffer, both by being women and by being black. I am an ally and stand with you; always have. And I apologize.”