Cashing in on 9/11? Melissa Joan Hart Issues Facebook Apology for 9/11 Shipping Promotion
Are some people actually low enough to exploit and cash in on 9/11? Some critics are accusing actress Melissa Joan Hart of just that.
On the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the actress went on a social media rant about the anniversary not receiving enough media attention. The rant was followed by Hart offering a promotional 9/11 discount on her clothing website, which led to major backlash and harsh accusations that she was cashing in on 9/11.
Here’s how the whole thing played out. Hart initially took to Twitter to call out the media (Fox News and CNN, specifically), by saying, “Extremely disappointed in @foxnews and @CNN for not having continual coverage of Sept11 memorial &names listed on the banner!!#neverforget”
Extremely disappointed in @foxnews and @CNN for not having continual coverage of Sept11 memorial &names listed on the banner!!#neverforget
— Melissa Joan Hart (@MelissaJoanHart) September 11, 2015
Her first Tweet was followed by several others, including, “This lightens my heart as I wake up today and am discouraged by the lack of footage around the memory…” and “If kardashians can be covered 24/7 why can’t we have one day dedicated to a moment in history that changed…”
If kardashians can be covered 24/7 why can’t we have one day dedicated to a moment in history that changed… http://t.co/MiY4CFH4oA
— Melissa Joan Hart (@MelissaJoanHart) September 11, 2015
The initial social media call-out was fairly well received until the Sabrina the Teenage Witch actress decided to offer a special “9/11” promotional free shipping code for her clothing website, King of Harts.
According to Examiner.com, critics then began to accuse Melissa Joan Hart of using the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to achieve personal and financial gain.
The actress responded to the criticism that she was cashing in on 9/11 by issuing a public apology on her Facebook page yesterday. The apology said, “I want to apologize for yesterday’s free shipping post. It was meant to be my small way to give something back. I wanted to cover the shipping charges as a heartfelt gesture, not an exploit of 9/11. I see now how it was interpreted and viewed as being in bad taste. I apologize. It was a mistake. I did not want to draw attention away from what the focus of yesterday should have been. And for that, I am sad.”
According to Yahoo News, Hart is a staunch conservative and volunteers her time doing charity work with military wives.
[Lead image via Astrid Stawiarz, Getty Images]
