In a statement to the Associated Press, Hilary Swank apologized for attending the birthday party of the Chechen President who is accused of many human rights violations and is just not a very good guy at all. On October 5th, Hilary attended his birthday and received a substantial sum for doing so. To think that she flew all the way to Grozny out of the goodness of heart defies belief. So, even though she apologized for attending the show, there has been no word from her people about if she is actually going to return the huge amount of money given to her for going.
considering how her films do she needs the money.
ReplyDeleteno one associated with her as heard of Google?
ReplyDeleteKind of disappointing, I didn't think she was the type.
ReplyDeleteI recall that she and her mother lived out of their car when she was younger. I would suspect that she probably doesn't want to end up back there; so I doubt the money will be given back.
ReplyDeleteSeriously. I mean. Really? The president of this country wants you to wish him a happy birthday. Does no one even look the country up? See what's going on? She's not the first whore, and she won't be the last.
ReplyDeleteShe needs to fire her publicist stat!
ReplyDeletePerhaps she is keeping the fee to teach him a lesson??
ReplyDeletei'm still waiting for Mariah Carey & Usher give their 1 million pay day back.
ReplyDeleteThat money is spent and gone.
I agree--you'd think her publicist or agent would have looked on Google. 10 seconds of internet research would have prevented this mess.
ReplyDeleteI read elsewhere that someone on stage asked her how she knew it was Kadyrov's birthday and she told them, "I read...I do my research." Maybe she's just dodging the PR fallout from knowing who he is and taking the money anyway.
ReplyDeleteYes, Enty. More of this. Celebrities like this deserve to be outed for their idiotic/selfish behavior. If you are a public figure, don't f over charitable organizations and don't attend parties or perform for despots. End of story. It's not a miscommunication, it's not your publicist's fault- it is 100% your fault for being an idiot to think you could get away with it. Donate the money, apologize, and hope that people forget- I won't, but maybe the public will. Ugh this makes my blood boil (if you couldn't already tell).
ReplyDeleteGlad she got called out on this "party". How about she donates the money to a fund for his victims? I thought she was better than this.
ReplyDeleteI hate that she did this. but didn't Seal go as well to sing? if so, why is there no backlash against him?
ReplyDelete*sniffs*
ReplyDeleteI've never liked her, anyway. And I *definitely* don't think she's deserving of TWO Oscars.
This is the same nut who prances around naked in front of her boyfriend's young son.
ReplyDeleteI agree, FS. These people are only sorry when they get caught...as if she honestly had no idea who she was going to see??? Give me a break.
ReplyDeleteFrom a Gawker article:
ReplyDelete"Human Rights Watch released a statement on last Wednesday's event, in which they say they had warned Swank about Kadryov's activities, and she had initially told them she had declined the invitation. (Other invitees, like Shakira, Eva Mendes and Kevin Costner, had also declined.) But then Swank had a change of heart."
Bitch is lying. Bitch please.
I personally dont care if she went and got paid. She went, she should be able to keep the money without everyone hating her for it. Maybe it wasnt the most culturally sensitive thing to do, but it was her decision and her time.
ReplyDelete@Robert I saw that too. She was also asked about it in advance and said she wasn't going.
ReplyDeleteKarma for dumping Chad & then blaming him cuz he did drugs. He's married with a baby/child so it was a favor in the end, but still...
See Hilary, payback.
@Lori: (holding up martini glass) You GO, chica!
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ReplyDeleteShehla, it ain't acceptable in this culture.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really bad move on her part, because her career is based on people admiring her talent/character. As unfair as it is, she can't get away with the things that people who are "hot" can.
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ReplyDeleteIt actually looks worse on her part for saying she was declining and then going anyway (per the above poster/Gawker article).
ReplyDeleteI'm disappointed in her decision. I hope she donates the money to an appropriate charity.
She is a total tightwad, a few years back she was fined $150 for bringing fruit into Australia and she made a big fuss and wrote a letter to the Australian government about how she shouldn't have to pay the fine. Seriously, bitch, $150 is nothing to you, get real.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, with an attitude like that, there ain't no way she will be giving his money back.
Personally I never liked her anyways, horsey and over-rated and I LOATHE rich people who are extremely cheap.
Ready to be flamed here, but when did it become the golden rule for Actors of all people to be socially aware of what is going on in the world and who are the bad guys? They are entertainers, and people pay ridiculously amounts of money to them for being who they are. That is their JOB! We can be jealous of them all we want, or try to guilt them but why should we expect them to turn down any money someone is willing to pay them?
ReplyDeleteThink about it. I am willing to bet that pretty much everyone here doesn't like their boss, and questions their bosses morals and ethics. That does not stop us from cashing that cheque at the end of the week. My boss is an asshole and perhaps someone he/she "outsourced" killed themselves because they couldn't pay the bills. I still take his/her money
Let Hillary keep the damn money for saying a couple of nice (and probably fake) words about the guy who signed the check. The only people that seem to have a problem are the people she didn't donate the money to. And you can bet they would take that exact same money that she was paid.
ETA, I find it interesting that it seems to be only certain celebrities that get the guilt trip for getting paid for public appearances, while there are more of them doing the exact same thing, but we don't hear about it. Tactics like this seem like blackmail to me. Remember the hatred everyone felt for the barefoot contessa for not having the time to make some kid dinner? Let's not forget Mila Kunis being blackmailed into a date with a stranger just because it got noticed in the media.
ReplyDeleteThe major issue I have with it is this-when you attend a celebration for someone who is accused of massive human rights violations, you're essentially condoning that behavior. Yes, you're allowed to do with your time and money what you want-but think about where that money came from and essentially what you're supporting when doing so. She should basically have it pointed out to her. If she doesn't think she did anything wrong, then fine don't apologize. But she absolutely can have people condemn her for doing it. And your example isn't the same-despots and dictators aren't the same as a boss I don't like. There's ethics and then there's systematic destruction of a people. "The Kremlin-backed ruler has been accused of torture, promoting honor killings of women and disappearances, among other human rights abuse" is not the same as outsourcing.
ReplyDeleteThe US supported Pol Pot for quite a while, even going as far as pushing through a UN resolution against those who came in and saved whatever was left of the population. Mostly because they were commies.
ReplyDeleteAs for the human rights watch groups, they are notoriously partial. Nary a peep from them about the Kosovo thugs.
I don't think she should return the money to that creep. I think she should give it to charity so at least something good can come out of this. Give it to a human rights group.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Gawker, Hilary Swank, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Seal were all warned by a human rights organization about the kind of man they were honoring.
ReplyDeleteHilary Swank is getting the brunt of the negative PR, but Jean-Claude Van Damme and Seal should also be called out.
For shame.