None of the Internet’s favorite celebrities are safe when video is forever, and today, Jason Momoa is the one facing cries of “cancel him”.
The Internet woke up this morning to discover that Jason Momoa, axe-maker-and-thrower (among other things), has said some things in the past that are pretty fundamentally not okay. Well, technically, this has already come out, but everything old is new again. As our sister site, Winter is Coming, notes, this video is actually six years old.
But as we said above, the Internet is forever.
Here’s the video. As both the original tweeter and WiC point out, there are mentions of sexual assault in here, so watch with caution.
So that’s where we are today.
Here’re some examples of the “cancel him” side of things:
Others brought up the imminent Justice League, as did WiC, although fans have connected it to Ben Affleck, who was in the news yesterday for a similar topic:
Now, some fans have jumped to Momoa’s defense, claiming that he has apologized (although it seems like that apology is a bit tough to find, since there are tweets from 2014 asking about whether or not it exists).
A lot of people seem to think that Jason Momoa video is recent. It is from 2011 and he apologized for it. It is still a horrible "joke".
— 🎄☃️🎁 (@loreuhann) October 12, 2017
Others pointed out that Game of Thrones, as a show, has some fairly thorny scenes itself:
*wonders why Jason Momoa is trending and is instantly confuse* Seriously? Did all the outraged people not watch Game of Thrones?
— Delirium's Penguin (@jeangenie420) October 12, 2017
Some advocated for a more measured response that respects that some have differing opinions on the cancel-or-not-to-cancel debate:
It's good that Jason Momoa has apologized but that doesn't erase what he said. Women have the right to feel however they want to about him.
— Courage the Reasonably Cowardly Dog (@blerohero) October 12, 2017
Meanwhile, Momoa’s Twitter account remains silent, as it has since 2014. Meanwhile, his Instagram, which last updated Sept. 30, now has a lot of comments on his most recent post about this clip.
Update, Oct. 12:
Momoa has now made a statement on Instagram (with a tip of the hat to TheWrap):
Ultimately, we’re about here with this one:
Me: *Notices Jason Momoa trending and checks what all the fuss is about*
— Clever girl 🦕 (@numinous_wander) October 12, 2017
Me after: pic.twitter.com/txwlOsXmui
Next: The Internet is canceling Sebastian Stan
Still, that’s why Jason Momoa is canceled, if you so choose to cancel him, today.