Madonna defends her support of controversial Netflix star

Madonna has called out cancel culture in a new Instagram post (Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Madonna has defended her decision to support Emilia Perez star Karla Sofía Gascón amid her recent controversy.

The pop icon came under fire from her fans this week after the controversial Emilia Pérez star thanked Madonna for offering her support after past offensive tweets resurfaced in January.

After the posts resurfaced, many called for Gascón’s Oscar nomination to be rescinded while Netflix distanced themselves from the actor in the run-up to the Academy Awards.

Seemingly defending her position, Madonna slammed America’s ‘lynch mob mentality’ on Instagram and appeared to reference the backlash trans actress Gascón has faced since her past tweets began circulating.

‘It breaks my heart to witness the pain of Trans-people who are not accepted by a society that fears them because they are different,’ the Like a Prayer hitmaker wrote on her Stories.

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‘How can we know what it feels like? Have we walked in their shoes?’

The Like a Virgin singer criticised America’s ‘lynch mob mentality’ (Picture: PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty Images)

‘The lynch mob mentality in this country is at an all-time high,’ she continued.

‘The excitement people get from watching people go down or be silenced, be blacklisted is disturbing.’

Madonna went on to encourage her fans to lift others up rather than tear them down.

‘The enjoyment we get from other people’s pain is a sin,’ she insisted.

‘Humanity should put more time and effort into lifting people up and supporting anyone who is striving to be the better version of themselves!’

The Material Girl singer also reshared Gascón’s post from earlier this week in which she thanked the pop star for her ‘words of love and strength’ and for inviting her to an Oscars afterparty on Sunday.

Madonna related her post to the backlash Emilia Perez actor Karla Sofia Gascon has faced after offensive tweets of hers resurfaced (Picture: Medios y Media/Getty Images)

Gascón dropped out of the film’s awards campaign despite being a Best Actress Oscar nominee after coming under fire for tweets that were seen as racist and Islamophobic.

After skipping several awards shows, she made her comeback at the Oscars, although she did not walk the red carpet.

She shared a lengthy statement on Instagram addressing the backlash, asking for ‘the most sincere forgiveness.’

‘I have many things to learn in this world, the forms [in which I learn] are my biggest defect,’ she wrote.

‘Life has taught me something I never wanted to learn: It’s clear to me that no matter how much my message is my message, without using the proper words, [the message] can turn into another.’

She continued: ‘Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a racist (you will be surprised when you find out that one of the most important people in my current life and that I love the most is Muslim) nor any of the things for which I have been judged and condemned without trial and without option to explain true intention.

She assured fans she is not racist in a long Instagram statement (Picture: Netflix / Avalon)

‘I have always fought for a more just society and for a world of freedom, peace and love. I will never support wars, religious extremism or the oppression of races and peoples.’

In another post, she said she was seeking ‘the freedom to exist without fear, to create art without barriers and to move forward with my new life.’

‘I ask the Hollywood experts, the journalists who know me and who have followed my career, how do I move forward?’ she continued.

It’s not the only backlash Emilia Perez has received, with many criticising the film for its representation of transgender people and Mexican culture.

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