"Firework" singer Katy Perry was criticized after she posted a photo of herself voting in the midterm elections revealing she backed former Republican Rick Caruso to be the next Mayor of Los Angeles.
Perry posted a photo to Instagram showing her giving a thumbs-up next to the ballot which shows she voted for Caruso, the billionaire founder and former chief executive officer of Caruso real-estate company.
Perry noted she is voting "for a myriad of reasons" but particularly because Los Angeles "is a hot mess [at the moment]."
You can see Perry's post below.
Caruso is a devout Catholic who switched his registration from Republican to Democrat in January, just short of when he announced his mayoral campaign.
He has characterized himself as pro-abortion and pro-reproductive rights, but an LA Magazine interview he gave in 2007 revealed he opposed abortion “in most cases."
Additionally, Caruso made donations to anti-abortion politicians right up until this year. While he reportedly pledged $1 million to support an abortion rights proposition, he has yet to donate any of those funds.
Perry herself has advocated for reproductive freedom and been associated with the Democratic Party, performing at former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's gathering at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in 2016.
Perry comes from a religious conservative background and as a child frequently moved across the country as her very strict parents set up churches. While not strictly identifying as religious, she has stated she prays regularly "for self-control, for humility."
But mere days ago, she posted a pro-choice video from the TikTok account @roevbros, which has gone viral after its host asked men how menstruation works and received wildly incorrect answers.
Many of Perry's fans reacted negatively.
They accused her of hypocrisy at a time when the future of reproductive rights is very much on the line.
Perry isn't the only celebrity to vote for Caruso.
Reality star Kim Kardashian, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, rapper Snoop Dogg, actor Chris Pratt, and billionaire Elon Musk have also voted for Caruso. Kardashian, Patrow, and Snoop have publicly supported efforts to enshrine reproductive freedom into law.
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