Last week, the death of Joe Jackson took many fans by surprise, despite his terminal pancreatic cancer battle. But apparently, there’s one person who couldn’t care less about the Jackson family patriarch’s death – famed actress/singer, Bette Midler. Matter of fact, she even took to Twitter to make her sentiments quite clear and many fans are saying- she went way too far, given the circumstances. Her mind-blowing tweets about Joe Jackson have since gone viral.
Middler Celebrating Joe Jackson’s Death:
While tons of fans were flooding social media networks with condolences for the Jackson family, ol’ Bette was singing a very different tune. She actually celebrated Jackson’s death, admitting she’s glad he’s gone. She tweeted:
“Joe Jackson is d-e-a-d- and Hallelujah!! A monster who ate his own children; like in an old Grecian myth. I hated every minute he lived. All times are strange but this is really beyond the pale. Would Quincy Jones like to weigh in?? Always interested!!!”
You’d have to see the jaw-dropping tweet to believe it. So, here it is below:
I’m assuming Bette is bashing Joe for being a stern father to his and Katherine’s 9 successful, legendary children.
A Heated Debate:
As expected, Midler’s offensive tweet received quite a reaction from Twitter users. Many Jackson family fans quickly disagreed with her wholeheartedly and called her out for making the statement, while others said they understood her disdain for Joe Jackson but still insisted there are some things better left unsaid.
One user -who apparently referred to Joe whipping his kids when they were wrong, as child abuse- wrote:
“While I don’t disagree with despising a child abuser, is it ever okay to celebrate a man’s death? His grandchildren seemed very upset. I mean, if you were the victim of his abuse, hell, throw a party but if not, then maybe we should take his family’s lead.”
Another Twitter user criticized Midler for her brash tweet:
“You may not have liked him but his children and grandchildren did. This tweet is in poor taste.”
Another person agreed:
“This is sad and disappointing to read. Mainly because it shines more of a light on your character and less on Joe. And to your own tone of hate is also strange and beyond the pale.”
Joe’s Reputation:
Although Bette Midler took things way too far, we all know there are people who aren’t fans of Joe Jackson. Why? Because while Joe is responsible for spearheading his sons’ and daughters’ careers, he was also accused of physically and mentally abusing his children. He sometimes received criticism for pushing his kids too hard back in the day, when he was training them to become the greatest musical family in the world.
In a prior response to the “abuse” backlash, Joe admitted he had no regrets for the butt-whippings his children endured:
“I don’t [regret whipping my children],” Jackson said during a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “It kept them out of jail and kept them right. I don’t think he [Michael] was afraid of me. What he was afraid of, he may do something wrong and I’d chastise him but not beat him. I never beat him like the media tried to say.”
I think Joe made a good point, even though he wasn’t perfect, but who is? Overall, there’s no denying that he loved his kids and raised them the best way he knew how, by dedicating his life toward making sure they became something great in theirs.’ Also, even though his children admit he was a tough dad, who whipped them when they did wrong and made them rehearse for hours as kids, they have repeatedly thanked him and said they’re beyond grateful that he went so hard on them. Moving on…
Bette Midler has yet to respond to all of the backlash she’s getting. Since her tweet has not been removed, it’s probably safe to say she too has no regrets for the disrespectful statement she made about Joe.
