While I enjoy John Legend’s music and artistic talents, and I think his wife, Chrissy Teigen, is gorgeous and hilarious, I don’t agree with them about politics — most conservatives don’t. Separately and as a couple, they have vehemently disagreed with President Trump and conservatism in general.
However, that aside, Legend is taking some heat for taking a stand against R. Kelly’s abusive behavior. Critics say he is a hypocrite because he used to be friendly with Harvey Weinstein. On this, John Legend is courageous to take a stand against one of “his own,” so to speak, and I don’t think he’s being inconsistent at all.
“Surviving R. Kelly” is a documentary that exposes the singer’s rampant history as a man who used his platform to gain access to young women and older girls and who then sexually abused them. Legend was the only major musician to speak out against his abuse publicly and on the record. He has said on Twitter he’s friends with the people who produced the documentary about R. Kelly.
Still, now that the documentary is out, some critics are taking issue with the fact that Legend also had a friendly working relationship with Harvey Weinstein. Old photos resurfaced, showing the two men with Teigen, in at least one event together, smiling.
I took a photo with and worked with Harvey on several occasions before his abuse was known to me and the rest of the world. Since his being exposed, his company and career have rightfully been destroyed and he’s been indicted. Sounds like something that should happen to R Kelly https://t.co/LgIOQpEnsP
— John Legend (@johnlegend) January 8, 2019
If y’all wanna cape for R and discount all these women’s stories, just say it. Don’t bring up some old pics of me and somebody else. https://t.co/2wus2P7vNm
— John Legend (@johnlegend) January 8, 2019
While again, I don’t agree with hardly any of Legend’s politics, he was clearly willing to put his reputation on the line to criticize R. Kelly, and for this, he deserves some kudos. Conversely, as he said in the tweet, at the time he knew Weinstein, he was unaware of his abusive behavior. If you recall, when Weinstein’s abuse was revealed, many in Hollywood were shocked — although those with a close relationship to him were undoubtedly not as surprised at how he treated women.
It isn’t fair to assume Legend knows how every man in Hollywood is treating women, and the fact that he has spoken out so boldly against abusive men like R. Kelly while retaining a personal reputation for kindness and respect, speaks volumes about the award-winning musician in this arena. Critics, conservatives, and myself might disagree with most of what John Legend says about politics and policy, but not this.
Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.
