Quvenzhane Wallis was the subject of a bitter and unprovoked attack during the Oscars last night, when she was called one of the nastiest words imaginable by satirical website The Onion via their official Twitter account. Quvenzhane, just 9 years-old and the youngest ever Oscar actress nominee, was called the dreaded “C” word in a message posted to Twitter by The Onion. They did immediately delete it, and in a rare show of humility even later issued an official apology to the “Beasts of the Southern Wild” star. However, Wallis needn’t fret about it too much after it was announced by ABC News today that the young star has already landed the coveted title role of “Annie” in new adaptation for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The horrible tweet that went out read, “Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a c---, right? #Oscars2013”. The awful message by the often over the top site known for its biting satire was quickly erased, but not before many subscribers took screen shots of it and began responding with harsh outrage.
“Calling a 9 year old child a c-word in one of the biggest nights of her life was going too far even for the onion. Classless”, Fox News reports one Twitter user said.
Some users went so far as vowing to stop subscribing to The Onion’s Twitter feed. “@TheOnion Unfollowing you. Your tweet about a 9-yr-old child was stunningly inappropriate. That's not satire or a joke. That's sick”, another user posted.
As many called for the site to issue an apology, at about 11:30 a.m. Monday they posted an apology to its Facebook and Twitter pages. In a rare serious moment for the publication, The Onion CEO Steve Hannah labeled the posting a mistake and said the site had already “instituted new and tighter Twitter procedures”.
“In addition, we are taking immediate steps to discipline those individuals responsible. Miss Wallis, you are young and talented and deserve better. All of us at The Onion are deeply sorry”, Hannah wrote.
But just hours before Quvenzhane walked the red carpet yesterday, she learned she’d been cast in the latest film adaptation of “Annie”. “Quvenzhane Wallis is a true star and we believe her portrayal as Annie will make her a true worldwide star”, the president of production for the Sony studio said in a statement.
“Annie” has some high profile producers in Will Smith, wife Jada Pinkett Smith and rapper Jay-Z. The venerable kids musical is scheduled to hit theaters during the 2014 holiday season.
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