Zac Efron, former High School Musical heartthrob and star of the upcoming Dirty Grandpa, was thankful for two things yesterday: Martin Luther King Jr. and reaching 10 million followers on Instagram. Before it was deleted, his tweet read, “I’m grateful for a couple things today: Martin Luther King Jr & 10 million followers on IG,” and included a raised fist emoji and pointing index emoji—both in black skin tone.
According to People, fans were outraged at Efron’s lack of sensitivity. Couldn’t he have shown his admiration for Dr. King alone? That Instagram brag could have been fine on Tuesday, or at least more appropriate in a separate post. Ultimately, Efron paid the price for social media multitasking.
Efron apologized for his misstep on Instagram. “I have nothing but the greatest admiration and respect for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I realize that last night’s post was completely insensitive and I apologize to anyone who I may have offended. So sorry,” he wrote.
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