Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Republican Senator Who Joked About Attending a 'Public Hanging' Just Tried to Explain What She Meant, and She's Just Making It Worse TBH

Whaaa?

A video surfaced over the weekend of Mississippi Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith joking that she would have accepted an invitation to a public hanging from a supporter.

The clip shows Smith getting introduced to a crowd by local cattle rancher Colin Hutchinson, while standing in front of a statue of Elvis Presley in his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi.


"If he invited me to a public hanging," Smith said of Hutchinson, "I'd be on the front row."

Watch the video below:

"There's no excuse to say what she said," Lamar White Jr. of The Bayou Brief, who published the video, told the Associated Press.

Hyde-Smith was appointed to the U.S. Senate in April and faces Democrat Mike Espy, Mississippi's first black post-Reconstruction Congressman, in a runoff election on November 27. Smith and Espy both received 41 percent of the vote in the November 6 midterms.

Smith's remarks were swiftly condemned on Sunday after the video went viral.

"Cindy Hyde-Smith's comments are reprehensible," Espy campaign spokesman Danny Blanton said. "They have no place in our political discourse, in Mississippi, or our country. We need leaders, not dividers, and her words show that she lacks the understanding and judgment to represent the people of our state."

Hyde-Smith, however, has not apologized for her remarks and insists her comments were blown out of proportion.

"I referred to accepting an invitation to a speaking engagement," Hyde-Smith said in a statement Sunday. "In referencing the one who invited me, I used an exaggerated expression of regard, and any attempt to turn this into a negative connotation is ridiculous."

Twitter exploded in response to Hyde Smith's comments.

The fact that the crowd expressed genuine laughter is disturbing.

Deplorable.

"Racist and sick."

Doug Stafford, the chief strategist for Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)'s PAC, was flabbergasted.

There's a word for public hangings - lynching.

Democratic strategist Keith Boykin posted a photo of what Hyde-Smith said she wanted to witness.

A history teacher noted that the last public lynching in Hyde-Smith's home of Brookhaven, which she represented in the state Senate, took place in 1928.

Hyde-Smith's joke about hanging, the teacher wrote, demonstrates a monumental ignorance of history.

Requests for information on how to donate to Espy began to fill Espy's Twitter feed.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson, a Mississippi native, said that Hyde-Smith should know better. He also blamed President Donald Trump and his racially-charged rhetoric. Hyde-Smith has Trump's endorsement.

"Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith's shameful remarks prove once again how Trump has created a social and political climate that normalizes hateful and racist rhetoric," Johnson said in a statement. "Hyde-Smith's decision to joke about 'hanging,' in a state known for its violent and terroristic history toward African Americans is sick. To envision this brutal and degenerate type of frame during a time when Black people, Jewish People and immigrants are still being targeted for violence by White nationalists and racists is hateful and hurtful."

Mississippi has not yet escaped its violent history against people of color, nor has it stopped marginalizing their voices.

"Mississippi has a history of racially motivated lynchings of black people," ABC News noted on Sunday. "The NAACP website says that between 1882 and 1968, there were 4,743 lynchings in the United States, and nearly 73 percent of the victims were black. It says Mississippi had 581 during that time, the highest number of any state."

More from People/donald-trump

Screenshot of Rob Schneider
Fox News

Rob Schneider Is Launching His Own 'All Ladies Talk Show' To Compete With 'The View'—And Oh Brother

Actor Rob Schneider was widely mocked after he announced during a Fox News appearance that he is launching a women’s talk show to "compete" against The View.

Schneider announced that filming for the episodes will kick off in January in Los Angeles. He and his production company, No Apologies Media, are inviting fans to submit title suggestions on X (formerly Twitter).

Keep ReadingShow less
Kylie Kelce; Jason Kelce
Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce; Ric Tapia/Getty Images

Jason Kelce's Wife Sparks Debate After Revealing He Never Watches The Kids When She's Busy

The profiles of Travis and Jason Kelce have skyrocketed since the former took up dating superstar Taylor Swift last year.

With this rise in popularity beyond the realm of NFL devotees came an interest in the family lives of the Kelces, including that of Kylie Kelce and husband Jason.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nikko Santo Pietro; Nikko and Vanna White from Instagram video
Entertainment Tonight; @officialvannawhite/Instagram

Vanna White's Son Reacts To Becoming Instant 'Heartthrob' After Viral Cooking Video

Wheel of Fortune's co-host Vanna White responded to her son Nikko Santo Pietro's sudden heartthrob status after their December 2 Instagram cooking video went viral.

In honor of the game show's "Fabulous Food Week," White, who at 67 continues turning letters on WOF's puzzle board since starting in 1982, was joined by her 30-year-old son, Nikko, in the kitchen to share the creation of her favorite dish, "Uncle Roy’s Chicken" for fans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman with cherry in mouth; Usher
@travelmoore2022/TikTok

Usher Hilariously Shocked By Fan's Overtly Suggestive Way Of Eating A Cherry At His Concert

Usher was not expecting his popular cherry challenge to reach an erotic high during a stop on his ongoing Past Present and Future tour.

The suggestive cherry-eating gimmick involves the "Hey Daddy" singer feeding women in the audience cherries or handing them out to couples in the audience to feed each other.

Keep ReadingShow less
Blue sticky note that reads, 'Fun Fact'
Photo by Walls.io on Unsplash

People Break Down The Most Unusual Facts They Know

Everyone loves a good fun fact, especially one that's unexpected, unusual, and can lead to a quirky conversation.

Anyone who wants a good conversation starter for a holiday party or a company event could use some interesting pieces of trivia they could bring out at a moment's notice when the conversation has stalled.

Keep ReadingShow less