“Who gave this son of a gun a green card?”
Sean Penn indeed concluded the 87th Academy Awards in a disgraceful manner, making a somewhat racist joke while presenting Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Birdman as the Best Picture winner for the evening.
The two share a long-time friendship, with Penn having appeared in Inarritu’s 2003 film, 21 Grams, so the intense reaction on Twitter may be somewhat overstated, considering their close relationship.
While many criticized Penn, some defended him, pointing to his relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Others used the opportunity to mock Penn’s friendly ties with dictators Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro as proof of his affinity for Hispanic individuals.
Inarritu himself didn’t seem bothered by the comment, telling journalists, “I found it hilarious. Sean and I have that kind of harsh relationship. I think it was very funny.”
But then, Twitter targeted his troubled history.
Social media has become the ultimate leveler, championing justice in celebrity cases from Woody Allen to Bill Cosby.
And now, Twitter users have turned their attention to Penn, who had a prominent presence at the Academy Awards and Jimmy Kimmel’s popular post-show, due to his violent past.
Penn was notoriously abusive toward his ex-wife Madonna during their marriage in the 1980s.
In June 1987, he reportedly caused the pop icon to be hospitalized after striking her head with a baseball bat.
Madonna, however, protected her husband and declined to press charges, as Penn was already facing 60 days in jail for attacking a film extra.
The situation worsened on December 28, 1989. According to a police report filed by Madonna, Penn climbed into their Malibu residence, found Madonna alone in her room, and declared that he owned her “lock, stock, and barrel.”
Reports state, “When she told him she was leaving the house, he tried to tie her hands with an electric lamp and cord.”
“Terrified and screaming, Madonna escaped the bedroom.”
“What followed was a nine-hour nightmare that left her deeply traumatized.
“Penn pursued her into the living room, captured her, and restrained her to a chair with heavy twine. Then he threatened to cut off her hair.”
Allegedly, Penn “struck and mistreated” Madonna while she was tied to the chair and then left for a few hours to purchase more alcohol—leaving his wife bound and gagged—before returning to continue tormenting her. He only agreed to release her after she “agreed to perform a humiliating sex act on him,” and then she fled the house, drove to the sheriff’s office, and stumbled inside.
“I barely recognized her as Madonna,” Lt. Bill McSweeney commented at the time. “She was crying, her lip was bleeding, and she had clearly been hit.”
Penn was charged with felony domestic assault, but Madonna requested the DA drop the charges.
He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, and the pop star separated from Penn shortly after.
Furthermore, Penn, 54, was once arrested for attempted murder after he was caught dangling a trespassing paparazzo over his ninth-floor hotel room balcony while filming Shanghai Surprise in Macau.
He was charged with battery and vandalism after kicking a paparazzo in 2010 and damaging his camera. The entire episode was caught on video.
