Bette Midler, a queen of Twitter controversy, has apologized for an offensive message she wrote about Caitlyn Jenner following the news that I Am Cait won't be back for a third season.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the tweet, which has since been deleted, read, “Now that @IAmCait has been cancelled, will she go back to being Bruce? Will Kris take him back? Do I smell a re-wedding?!"
Midler faced criticism for the tweet, with many accusing the actress of suggesting that Jenner's transition is just a phase. On August 21, Midler tweeted out an apology, addressed particularly to the LGBTQ activist group Human Rights Campaign. She wrote, "DEAR FRIENDS @HRC, WHOM I HAVE ALWAYS SUPPORTED. SORRY LAST TWEET OFFENDED. AN IDLE MUSING. I SEEM TO HAVE MISREAD THE TEMPER OF THE TIMES."
DEAR FRIENDS @HRC, WHOM I HAVE ALWAYS SUPPORTED. SORRY LAST TWEET OFFENDED. AN IDLE MUSING. I SEEM TO HAVE MISREAD THE TEMPER OF THE TIMES.
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) August 21, 2016
Midler has been vocal about her dislike for Jenner's politics in the past. After Jenner stated last November she intended to vote Republican, Midler tweeted, "People, #CaitlynJenner says she is STILL voting GOP in2016. Regardless of gender identity, I guess she identifies most as 'uninformed.'" However Midler may feel about Jenner's politcs, there's a big and important distinction between expressing disagreement with someone's opinions, as Midler readily does with many celebrities on the platform, and openly mocking his or her gender identity.