Hollywood executive Chris Fenton said John Cena’s controversial apology to China after he called Taiwan a country during a promotional interview for “Fast & Furious 9” alienated both his fans in the West and in China, inadvertently providing the star with an opportunity to lead the charge against Chinese Communist Party (CCP) censorship in the U.S. film industry.
Fenton told NTD’s “Focus Talk” that Cena’s apology ended up missing the mark on both fronts, alienating his fans in the United States while failing to satisfy Chinese netizens.
“Boy, did he step into it,” Fenton said of Cena’s video apology, in which the Hollywood star spoke in Mandarin. “I felt badly for him, and I was quite shocked.”
Following the apology, conservative news outlet the Daily Wire ran a sharply-worded op-ed headlined “John Cena Begging China For Forgiveness Proves That Money Beats Morality Every Time.” The platform’s co-founder, Ben Shapiro, said in a Twitter post: “Taiwan is a country. Hong Kong should be free. If you are unwilling to say these things because it might hurt your bottom line, you are a pathetic coward.”
Republican lawmakers took to Twitter to lambaste Cena’s remarks.
“Pathetic,” wrote Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in a one-word tweet, while Rep. Andy Briggs (R-Ariz.) alleged Cena “is owned by the Chinese Communist Party,” while reposting a message from House Republicans stating, “Taiwan is a country.”
While Taiwan is a de facto independent country with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution, the Chinese regime considers it a breakaway province and claims the island as its own, repeatedly threatening to unify it by force.
Fenton said Cena’s apology failed to satisfy his fans in China and the West.
BY TOM OZIMEK
