Remember How Back In 2003 George Clooney Made A Cruel Joke About Charlton Heston's Alzheimer's?
LIFESTYLE
Remember How Back In 2003 George Clooney Made A Cruel Joke About Charlton Heston's Alzheimer's?
In 2002, legendary Hollywood actor Charlton Heston announced he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
gettyimages
It was a heartbreaking revelation not just for his close friends and family, but also to his many fans and colleagues all over the world. He was treated with support and understanding until he passed away in 2008.
gettyimages
But not everyone was respectful of his condition.
George Clooney’s insensitive remark
In 2003, shortly after Heston revealed his Alzheimer’s, George Clooney delivered a speech at a National Board of Review event, in which he allowed himself a controversial joke about the legend’s illness, as mentioned in Paul G. Roberts’ book:
Charlton Heston announced again today that he is suffering from Alzheimer’s…
gettyimages
Clooney got a lot of heat for such an insensitive joke, but he wasn’t ready to apologize. He believed Heston deserves everything someone might say about him since he was head of the National Rifle Association, and Clooney was openly against guns.
At the time, Heston chose to ignore George’s comment citing that he’s overcome many tragedies in his life, and a comment from an actor he doesn’t know wasn’t going to bother him.
The backlash from the public is still strong
Still, even after many years the public remembers Clooney’s joke and can’t forgive him for such harsh attitude.
Screw George Clooney, he never apologized for making fun of Charlton Heston having Alzheimer’s.
#redeye— Nathan (@NATHANINSOCAL) December 20, 2014
@JessicaChasmar I will never pay money to see another George Clooney movie after what he said about Charlton Heston and the NRA.
— Nathan (@NATHANINSOCAL) December 20, 2014
Remember when George Clooney made fun of Charlton Heston’s Alzheimer’s… AND refused to a apologize? #Classy guy.
— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) September 28, 2014
George ‘I love myself’ Clooney… The guy that mocked the legendary Charlton Heston for having #Alzheimers.. PURE SCUM
— Stephen E Garside 🇬🇧 (@sgarside11) February 21, 2017
Clooney’s treatment of Charlton Heston, a real star, sums him up!
— charles (@dmcdowe24131340) October 15, 2017
Clooney did apologize after all
Whether it was pressure from the public or awakened conscience, but George Clooney apologized to Charlton Heston, as he revealed in an interview with Esquire:
I wrote him a letter saying I usually avoid making jokes at people’s expense, so I’m sending you an apology, and I got a really nice letter back from his wife.
gettyimages
Sometimes, celebrities say wrong things in public, but it’s important for them to realize their faults and make things right.
