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Katy Perry is being slammed for her abortion rights tweet made on the Fourth of July after previously endorsing Rick Caruso for Los Angeles mayor.
The singer was one of many stars who engaged in social media protests against Independence Day in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade more than one week ago. The 37-year-old took to Twitter in the early hours of July 4 to acknowledge her widely used holiday anthem, in addition to women’s rights.
“‘Baby you’re a firework’ is a 10 but women in the US have fewer rights than an actual sparkler smh,” she tweeted to her millions of followers.
While many praised the “Dark Horse” songstress for her stance, others pointed out that she advocated for Rick Caruso, a pro-business billionaire Republican-turned-Democrat who, according to reports, provided financial support to politicians and causes opposed to abortion.
“Katy, how about supporting Progressives and not Billionaires who are the problem?” one user tweeted.
“But you endorsed Rick Caruso who has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican and anti-abortion candidates???” another chimed in.
“You supported an anti-abortion mayoral candidate in the last 30 days,” one person tweeted.
“Perhaps you should have done a little more research before supporting billionaire Rick Caruso, known anti-abortionist, for Mayor of LA,” another user shared.
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Many referred to Perry’s tweet on June 4 that read “RICK CARUSO FTW!”
Reps for the star didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Caruso released a statement.
“I am heartbroken and outraged by the decision of the Supreme Court,” the 63-year-old tweeted. “It’s wrong, plain and simple, and makes millions of women unsafe and unequal under the law. I want every woman in Los Angeles to know, I will do all I can to ensure women’s reproductive rights are protected. I stand with you and my heart breaks with you on this devastating day.”
Many felt Katy Perry’s tweet was tone-deaf given her previous support for Rick Caruso.
(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
In May, the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County Action Fund released a letter that slammed Caruso for his past support of anti-abortion politicians and organizations. It called on Caruso to clarify in writing his stance on reproductive rights, as well as issue a public apology for “the countless actions you’ve taken that put women’s health and well-being at risk.” The letter also urged him to participate in a listening session with reproductive rights leaders.
That same month, Caruso tweeted that he “profoundly disagrees with the draft decision,” adding he is pro-choice.
“If it becomes final, the justices in the majority will have taken away the rights of millions of people in this country and put lives in jeopardy,” he tweeted at the time. My position has always been clear. Like most, I support a woman’s right to choose and if made final, this will hurt many of our fellow Americans. As a father who is pro-choice, I’m proud to live in a city and state where women’s reproductive rights are respected and protected.”
In 2007, Los Angeles magazine published a profile that said Caruso “opposes abortion in most cases but would support some stem cell research.”
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When asked for clarification about the Los Angeles Magazine interview, Caruso spokesperson Lex Olbrei said, “We’re not going to comment on any particular articles. The bottom line is Rick has always been pro-choice and has always supported Roe vs. Wade.”
This year, the Los Angeles Times also reported that Caruso previously provided financial support to “antiabortion politicians, including more than $240,000 to a super PAC supporting John Kasich’s GOP presidential run in 2016; $100,000 to a PAC supporting President George W. Bush’s reelection in 2004; $50,000 to a PAC supporting Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) in 2017; and $4,300 to a committee supporting Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2007.”
According to government records, Caruso was a Republican for over two decades before becoming an independent in 2011. Caruso changed back to Republican in 2016 — a year when he served as California campaign co-chair for Republican John Kasich’s presidential bid — and then to independent again in 2019. He became a Democrat shortly before entering the mayoral race in February.
He’s donated to candidates in both parties, which has led to criticism from Democrats who point to his financial support for Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, among others. And he’s been routinely attacked for an opulent lifestyle, including owning a nine-bedroom yacht.
In June of this year, Los Angeles Magazine noted that Caruso secured a slew of celebrities to endorse his mayoral run, including Kim Kardashian, Elon Musk and Snoop Dogg, among others.
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Caruso will go head-to-head with Democrat congresswoman Karen Bass in November.
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Rick Caruso and his wife Tina Caruso attend the Rebels With A Cause Gala 2019 at Lawrence J Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC on October 24, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. The 63-year-old will go head-to-head with Democrat congresswoman Karen Bass in November.
(Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)
FOX News’ Tracy Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
