Jamie Foxx hosted the IHeartRadio Music Awards Sunday night and has spent much of the next morning taking heat on Twitter for a joke he made at Bruce Jenner’s expense.
“We have some groundbreaking performances here too tonight,” Foxx said in his monologue. “Bruce Jenner will be here doing some musical performances. He’s doing a his and her duet all by himself.”
“Look, I’m just busting your balls while I still can,” he added to a mixture of groans and applause from the audience, which included Kylie Jenner, the Olympian-turned-reality star’s teenage daughter.
The tweet that seems to have set off the firestorm over Foxx’s joke came from Perez Hilton, who accused NBC of airing “transphobic” jokes. Jenner has been rumored to be transitioning into a trans woman, but has neither confirmed nor denied that supposition.
Boo! Shame on you #iHeartAwards for allowing @iamjamiefoxx to be transphobic on national television! Those #BruceJenner jokes were wrong!!!
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) March 30, 2015
RELATED: Kendall Jenner: I Never Spoke to Us Weekly About My Father’s Transition
In the hours since, many more have expressed their disappointment in the way Foxx framed his jokes:
Wow! Totally not feeling Jamie Foxx right now… he is being so MEAN! #iHeartRadioMusicAwards the bruce jenner slam was NOT COOL!
— Chloe Melas (@Chloe_Melas) March 30, 2015
Jamie Foxx just made a terrible, disgusting joke about Bruce Jenner's rumored transition on this trash awards show.
— Lauren Nostro (@laurennostro) March 30, 2015
@iamjamiefoxx Bruce Jenner joke was crass, hateful, and transphobic. #iheartradioawards
— Juan (@theJuanstar) March 30, 2015
Jamie Foxx's transphobic jokes at the iHeartRadio about Bruce Jenner were gross, glad they didn't garner much laughs
— Loki's Banphrionsa (@ReinaAtlantico) March 30, 2015
Jamie Foxx disrespecting Bruce Jenner's transition(which may or may not be real) is not okay. what was said was disrespectful and disgusting
— nicholson (@nicholsonbaird) March 30, 2015
Foxx has not yet addressed the backlash publicly on social media and has not responded to requests for comment.
Watch video below, via NBC:
[Photo via screengrab]
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