Actor-comedian Ben Stiller was accused by MAGA supporters of celebrating the violence that unfolded at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) on X. While the internet was having a meltdown over Stiller’s supposedly nefarious tweet, the actor may not have been referring to the WHCD at all.
On Saturday, a shooter broke into the event, where politicians from both sides of the aisle, reporters, and Trump administration officials were present. According to the messages sent by the alleged suspect, he had the intention to target Trump and his officials that night.
Stiller tweeted, “Got it done.” Without any context, the tweet could be about anything. But because of the shooting incident, some believed that the comedian was referring to what happened at the annual WHCD.
Stiller’s no-context tweet
MAGA supporters and Republican Party members ganged up on Stiller in the replies.
Special Presidential Envoy Richard Grennell replied, “Wtf?”
Rep. Nancy Mace’s personal X account asked, “Got what done?”
Conservative podcaster Kangmin Lee wrote, “Actually, the shooter missed.”
Many other MAGA supporters online condemned Stiller. The shooter did, in fact, miss his targets at the WHCD. But Karl-Anthony Towns’ winning shot in the New York Knicks v. Atlanta Hawks game did not. In this game alone, OG Anunoby scored 22 points on his own. Anunoby’s gameplay in itself is worth a series of tweets from any Knicks fan.
Prior to Stiller’s controversial tweet, the actor was posting support for the New York Knicks on X. Some of his tweets contain only the names of the players from the Knicks—presumably in excitement for when they score or disappointment for when they fail to.
Stiller even wrote, “KNICKS FANS REPRESENTING,” before his infamous, viral tweet.
Needless to say, arguing against political violence would be valid if Stiller weren’t tweeting about his favorite basketball team. This appears to be a straightforward case of bad timing. Although Stiller didn’t explain what his tweet was about, he doesn’t have to, as his history is self-explanatory.
A reason for MAGA to attack Stiller
There’s at least a comedic silver lining to Stiller’s debacle. Besides, if the actor intended to promote the shooting, would it not be reasonable for him to tweet in disappointment? The shooter missed, and yet Stiller’s tweet implies success. Just from a grammatical standpoint, the tweet is inconsistent with what happened at the event.
But there may be an incentive for MAGA to misunderstand Stiller and to attack him out of the blue.
For one, it’s no secret that Stiller is a vocal critic of the Trump administration. Recently, the actor has even asked the White House to remove a clip of his art, which was used as Iran War propaganda. His anti-war stance has previously gained him disdain from the MAGA crowd. With his recent, hilariously timed tweet, the president’s supporters essentially misjudged Stiller based on political history.
Moreover, there has recently been an allegation made by an ex-MAGA about paid, coordinated messaging from MAGA influencers. Although unverified, it would shed light on why MAGA influencers would, all of a sudden, band together against Stiller’s ambiguous tweet.
The reality is that although Trump can affect Americans—and the rest of the world—not all people center their lives around him. Arguably, Stiller has spent more time being a Knicks fan than criticizing Trump.
(featured image: Polina Zimmerman)
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