Nicole Scherzinger Apologizes After Receiving Backlash For Supporting Russel Brand’s ‘Make Jesus First Again’ Post

Nicole Scherzinger has apologized after she was slammed on social media on November 7 for posting a comment under a “Make Jesus First Again” post uploaded by comedian Russel Brand. 

Many fans of the actress and singer took her comment to be a show of support for Donald Trump after she wrote “Where do I get this hat!!!?” under a post made by Brand, depicting him in a red baseball cap that read “Make Jesus First Again.” The comedian captioned the post, “God Bless America.”

Scherzinger’s comment, which has since been deleted, sparked a slew of controversy as it was posted in the hours ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

On Friday, November 8,  she issued an apology for anyone she upset.

“I deeply apologize for the hurt caused by my recent engagement with some social media posts,” the singer posted to her Instagram story. “When I commented on these posts, I made the mistake of not realizing that they could be easily interpreted as being politically related and I apologize to anyone who understandably reached that conclusion.”

She continued, “Many presumptions are being drawn, which do not reflect who I am, what I stand for, or who I voted for. Many of the marginalized communities feeling hurt and concerned by the results of the presidential election are people I care about most. I stand with them, as I always have, throughout my life and career. If you know me, you know that. Like so many others, in times of adversity and uncertainty, I turn to my faith. I believed that the posts I engaged with were about encouraging people to choose love and faith — ‘putting Jesus first.’ For me Christ embodies peace, compassion, hope, and above all — unconditional love, especially for those who may feel it the least right now.”

“I come from a place of love, and I will always support values that bring us closer together. It’s so important we come together with compassion, and love one another more now than ever,” Scherzinger concluded. 

In addition to many fans interpreting the singer’s comment as pro-MAGA, she was also criticized for appealing to Brand, who was accused of rape, sexual assaults, and emotional abuse by five women in a joint investigation last year. 

Scherzinger previously campaigned for Barack Obama in 2008. She also revealed that she is pro-life in a 2016 interview, explaining that she stands behind her family’s beliefs after her mother’s parents refused to let her get an abortion at 17 and pregnant with the star-to-be.