Kid Rock’s recent live TV antics landed him an open letter from the Special Olympics, all stemming from his less-than-charming use of an ableist slur.
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On Friday, during an appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime, the noted Bud Light hater decided it would be hilarious to announce his Halloween costume as “a r—–” while clutching a face mask. Sadly, the host found this side-splittingly funny, bursting into merciless guffaws.
This was meant to be a joke at the expense of COVID-era mask mandates, which might have been somewhat edgy five years ago.
Of course, the term used by the 54-year-old rapper turned country rock poser has been considered a derogatory slur against people with intellectual disabilities for this entire century.
The Special Olympics Takes Kid Rock to Task
Loretta Claiborne, Chief Inspiration Officer for Special Olympics (the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities), didn’t Kid’s slur slide. She published an open letter, urging the “Bawitdaba” wordsmith to address his hurtful language.
“The R-Word deeply demeans and harms people with intellectual disabilities,” Claiborne wrote. “I’m writing to you personally with an urgent request: please acknowledge the hurt caused and use this moment to stand with us in rejecting that word and the prejudice it represents.”
“Language plays a crucial role in that fight. Words like ‘r—–ed’ and ‘r—–’ have a long, painful history of being used to belittle and dehumanize,” she continued. “When anyone, especially someone in the public eye, uses them, it reopens wounds that so many of us have worked so hard to heal.
“… We’ve made great progress, but every public use of that word sets us back and reinforces the stigma we’re trying to overcome,” she added.
She concluded by urging the “Po-Dunk” crooner to “acknowledge the harm” he had done with his slur and “to stand with people with intellectual disabilities, and to help lead the conversation toward greater understanding and respect.”
Claiborne graciously added that she would be “honored” to speak to Kid, real name Robert James Ritchie, to “share more about the movement for inclusion and respect that has changed so many lives.”
Meanwhile, the conservative performer has yet to respond to the Special Olympics’ open letter.