John Cena has sparked controversy in his latest tweet regarding the current war on Ukraine.
The professional wrestler and actor took to Twitter on Thursday to give his input on the current events happening in the country, which many of his followers have interpreted as a marketing opportunity.
Cena used the hashtag of his series #Peacemaker in his tweet
Cena currently stars as the character Christopher Smith in the “comic book” series Peacemaker, an HBO Max original. In his tweet, he included the series by using a hashtag of the title that would take followers to other tweets regarding the show when clicked.
Fans have taken to the platform to slam the actor for his use of promotion in a tweet that regards such a serious, sensitive topic.
Cena wrote in his tweet, “If I could somehow summon the powers of a real life #Peacemaker I think this would be a great time to do so.”
In the tweet, Cena addressed the current war between Russia and Ukraine by saying he wishes he could have the power to bring peace among the two countries. However, the use of the hashtag and the name of his show had Twitter users stuck in a “read the room” mindset.
Followers outraged by Cena’s insensitive use of promotion
Cena received an overabundance of replies to his tweet yesterday, with many upset over his choice to promote his show when speaking on such a serious event.
One user replied, “A bit tone deaf @JohnCena. Please delete. From a conversation I’m in: Families have literally been blown to pieces in Ukraine. Meanwhile Cena, ‘I AM A COMIC BOOK ACTOR, IF MY CHARACTER WAS REAL, I WOULD STOP IT FROM HAPPENING.'”
“Not that Asian dude” on Twitter chimed in with the simple reply, “I’m just saying there is never an appropriate moment to say this, especially now.”
Blake Herzinger hit back with another strong response to the actor’s words. “John, this is in poor taste. Also your character is not the good guy.”
Many fans were the most disappointed with Cena’s use of the hashtag and wished he didn’t see the war as an opportunity to trend. One user replied, “Great time to hashtag your show for trending purposes, very insensitive don’t you think?”
Cena has yet to repond to backlash on social media
According to the actor’s social media accounts, he has yet to acknowledge or reply to any of the responses he received on the tweet.
Since the poorly-received statement regarding his series, Cena has tweeted once saying, “Love what you do, just make sure what you do isn’t all you love.
Although Cena’s original intention may have been to “spread peace,” it’s clear he has started his own battle between him and his followers with his Peacemaker tweet.
Check out his latest Quote Tweets for more negative responses to Cena’s controversial plug.
He did not hash tag Ukraine, Invasion, or Russia, though this is a sensitively volatile & chaotic time in history (ongoing battles regarding gender, police brutality, racial tension, COViD dares & scares, human trafficking among “the elite,” the flight of Haitians & Mexicans to the US, the trials of Kashmir, Afghanistan, etc.), this being presently at the forefront and the latest chaos we have to face as a media connected world. It definitely would have been better if he just said something as a person, not his persona. but he is human, widely scrutinized and permanently second guessed because of fame, but human nevertheless and capable of error.