After Terry Crews testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee about his alleged sexual assault at the hand of a Hollywood agent, 50 Cent took to Instagram to mock the actor. 50 Cent’s post featured a shirtless Crews with the words “I got raped. My wife just watched.” A photo of Crews in a suit with a rose in his mouth with the words “Gym time” was also posted. In the caption 50 Cent wrote, “LOL, what the fuck is going on out here man?”
I can’t be the only Power fan pissed about 50 Cent’s latest string of ignorant comments or the effect they may have on the future of the hit drama series.
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Why the rapper thought these “memes,” which he has now deleted, would even be remotely funny is unclear. Now, there is a petition for the rapper to be removed from one of Starz's most watched shows, Power, which he stars in and executive produces.
The petition, which has garnered more than 22,000 signatures and counting, explicitly calls for 50 Cent’s removal by the Starz network because his posts insinuated that Crews was “less of a man” for being a victim. “50 Cent has sent a message loud and clear that he is not a fan of the #MeToo movement...Starz should send a message to the rapper and to all other potential producers and filmmakers that they will not tolerate this type of ignorance."
50 Cent isn’t swayed by the backlash though. In fact, he took to Twitter to make yet another ignorant statement saying that “people are so sensitive.” It just keeps getting worse.
Now, I completely agree with petition that 50 Cents needs to go. Time is up on any type of sexual assault and harassment or anyone who thinks any type of sexual violence is a joke. But his removal should not come at the expense of the entire show.
The series, which just debuted its fifth season, is helmed by a Black female showrunner, and given the push for more diversity behind the scenes of Hollywood, Starz would be making a big mistake by canceling it. At Power’s recent New York City premiere, creator Courtney Kemp reminded the audience of just why the series is needed now more than ever.
"Power is not a Black show. It's not a white show. It's a New York show," she said. "And it is full of the ethnicity, personality, and downright swagger in this room tonight. The faces in this crowd and the faces represented on this screen tonight are a statement about the need for programs like ours. It is more important now to stand up and be counted." I couldn’t agree with her more.
Starz has yet to address the petition but hopefully they’ll take a cue from ABC and give Power the Roseanne treatment. Cancel the problem child — and I do mean child — and his bullshit, not the whole shebang.