by Jeroslyn JoVonn
September 4, 2024
Lee Daniels is under fire after referring to the white female character in “The Deliverance” as “the fabric of our community.”
Lee Daniels is under fire on social media after referring to Glenn Close’s character in The Deliverance as “the fabric of our community.”
The film and television producer was active on social media over the weekend following the release of his new Netflix thriller, The Deliverance. The film quickly became the most-watched title on the streaming service and caused quite a stir on social media over its subject matter.
Amid the film’s hype, Daniels took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to explain the inspiration behind Close’s character, Alberta, the white chain-smoking mother of Andra Day’s biracial character.
“Every Black person knows an Alberta. She’s part of the fabric of our community, but we’ve never seen her on screen before,” Daniels wrote. “Thank you, Glenn, for bringing her magnificently to life.”
While Daniels sent the tweet to celebrate his character and Close’s portrayal of Alberta, Black Twitter quickly took offense and blasted the director for the seemingly tone-deaf statement.
“A white woman is “part of the fabric of our community?” one user asked.
“THE FABRIC OF…WHOSE COMMUNITY? WHO IS OUR?” wrote someone else.
Another user applauded Alberta’s character’s styling and Close’s performance but said that’s where it stops.
“The sew-in scene was cute. I enjoyed the movie and Glenn’s acting, but “the fabric of our community” is crazy, Lee,” the user quipped.
It didn’t take Black Twitter too long to mock Daniels’ tweet and start sending out sarcastic and comical tweets criticizing the director of “The Butler.”
The Deliverance tells the real-life story of “the Demon House,” which saw a family in Indiana claim their home was haunted by a demonic presence in 2011. The film stars Andra Day, Mo’nique, and Close, whose characters stole the show.
At one point toward the end of the horror film, a demon-possessed Alberta sniffs and says to her daughter: “I can smell your nappy p***y.”
The clip was shared on X in a now-viral tweet that read, “Lee Daniel’s you will pay for your crimes for having Glenn Close say this,” to which Daniels replied, “Had to do it.”
Daniels is standing by his words about the Alberta types being “the fabric of our community.” He even followed up with a repost of one tweet that noted his love for “a white girl from the hood. First, it was Star Davis, then her heaux-ass grandmother Alberta Jackson.”
