John Legend, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter born in Springfield, Ohio, has drawn criticism for recent remarks about welcoming Haitian migrants to his hometown.
Legend, on September 13, gave a speech on the impact of social media following a situation where the city garnered attention due to unsubstantiated claims made by Donald Trump regarding migrants consuming pets.
During his social media lecture, the 45-year-old singer-songwriter mentioned the "interesting man Donald J. Trump," who reiterated these baseless accusations during the recent presidential debate last Tuesday.
The "All of Me" singer said, "So you might imagine there are some challenges with, you know, integrating a new population."
"New language, new culture, new dietary preferences. All kinds of reasons why they might be growing pains," he continued.
"We had about 15,000 or so immigrants move to my town of 60,000. Now you might say 'wow that's a lot of people for a town that only had 60,000 before. That's a 25% increase. That is correct.'"
The singer, who has an estimated net worth of $100 million, added, "How about we love one another? I grew up in the Christian tradition we said to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and treat strangers as though they might be Christ."
Legend went on to say that people should stop "spreading hateful, xenophobic, racist lies."
John Legend, a native of Springfield, Ohio, discusses the influx of Haitian immigrants, the spread of misinformation and disinformation about them, and recent attacks by Trump and his allies. pic.twitter.com/xuWOjowCKe
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) September 12, 2024
Outraged individuals on social platforms in the vicinity expressed fury towards the "Ordinary People" singer, who they perceived as out-of-touch, attempting to offer advice on local issues while being miles away.
His video was recorded in the luxurious $17.5 million mansion he owns with his supermodel wife, Chrissy Teigen.
According to X user @thevivafrei, "Hey John, where do you live now? Oh yeah, that's right. Beverly Hills."
"The absolute arrogance of thinking that because you're a celebrity your voice matters more than the people who are actually living it," @laissez_claire wrote.
"Is this dude wearing a robe in his Beverly Hills home while talking about 'growing pains' for the small town community he left. UNBELIEVABLE," @0xNOONER noticed.
"These people are insufferable," @IMBillyGee wrote, while @ofcrdeonjoseph tweeted, "He's bought and paid for. Just another rich elite living in luxury trying to tell you to be comfortable in hell."
@NateArdle exposed Legend, saying, "I grew up in Springfield. John Legend went to high school with my brother. He has not lived anywhere like Springfield for most of his life. How dare he speak of what is best for those residents, including my mom."
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