'Grey's Anatomy' Star Ellen Pompeo Called 'Racist' for Saying Kamala 'Overconfident' During Debate
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo was savaged with charges of racism Wednesday during the Democratic presidential debate after she tweeted that Sen. Kamala Harris was being “overconfident.”
Pompeo responded to a tweet by Bloomberg noting an “emerging trend” that Harris kept turning her fire back on former Vice President Joe Biden every time a candidate polling lower than her challenged the Californian.
“Because she’s overconfident and believes he is her only competition,” Pompeo tweeted.
Because she’s overconfident and believes he is her only competition https://t.co/HYPRXtoLIr
— Ellen Pompeo (@EllenPompeo) August 1, 2019
The backlash to the television star’s tweet was immediate.
One responded, “Ellen basically called her uppity. I’m done being surprised by white women honestly.”
Another wrote, “Everyone challenged Biden. You singled out a black woman and called her overconfident. You basically called her uppity for having the audacity to challenge the only person who is currently any real competition. There was a racial undertone to it even if you choose to ignore it.”
Still another answered, “Black women are allowed only a certain amount of confidence. must always yield something to whatever white man is around.”
A Twitter user shot off simply: “Let me be very clear this was racist.”
One critic felt he needed to point out to Pompeo that “Grey’s Anatomy” creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes, is a “confident black women.”
Further, he noted, “(You) are married to a Black man, with biracial children, you might want to watch how you frame your language about the only Black woman candidate.”
Pompeo responded to that advice, tweeting, “First I don’t have to tiptoe around when I’m talking about a performance on a stage by a candidate… to me that’s what she is first in this context.. race has nothing to do with her ideas or plans as a candidate… it informs her plans but I only care about their ideas.”
First I don’t have to tip toe around when I’m talking about a performance on a stage by a candidate… to me that’s what she is first in this context.. race has nothing to do with her ideas or plans as a candidate… it informs her plans but I only care about their ideas https://t.co/kzGQDTJkLh
— Ellen Pompeo (@EllenPompeo) August 1, 2019
The actress also wondered how her original “comment is now a racial comment ..so weak.. two people on a stage with a bunch of others they all came off a certain way and they are up there for (interpretation)… stop looking for sh– to get mad about.”
Pompeo tweeted that entrepreneur Andrew Yang is the candidate she felt performed the best.
“Yang is the only one up there tonight with any swag,” she wrote.
After firing off responses to many of her critics, Pompeo tweeted, “Goodnight everybody …love you all no matter what … you can feel anyway you want ….but so can I …and have love for everyone.”
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