Melissa McCarthy has expressed remorse for putting her name behind a charity initiative that amplified an organization whose founder has expressed anti-gay and anti-abortion views.
“There’s no other way to say it: we blew it,” she said in a video posted to Instagram on Thursday night. “We made a mistake, and we backed a charity that, upon proper vetting, stands for everything that we do not.”
This week, as part of the promotional rollout for her new HBO Max film Superintelligence, McCarthy and the streaming service announced “20 Days of Kindness,” a charitable endeavor that seeks to elevate different charities in the 20 days prior to the film’s release. In a press release, HBO Max promised to donate $20,000 to a “different good cause daily,” with social media encouragement for others to provide monetary support as well.
Among the organizations originally included were Planned Parenthood, The Trevor Project, Girls Who Code, and World Central Kitchen—as well as a group called Exodus Cry. The organization, which purports to help combat sex trafficking, was founded by Benjamin Nolot, who has expressed virulent views on social media about abortion rights and gay marriage.
“Ending my week praying for God’s mercy over America as more and more light is being shed about the modern-day holocaust of abortion,” he wrote in a 2013 tweet.
“I oppose homosexual marriage on the premise that it is an unspeakable offense to God and His design for marriage between a man and a woman,” Nolot wrote in another tweet that same year.
Nolot later walked back that tweet, writing that his opinion had shifted in the years since. “Even former President Obama held similar views in the past,” he said in a statement on the organization’s website. “Today, like many, my views have evolved and I believe every individual should make that decision for themselves without government being involved in such a personal choice. I advocate for the right of all people to be free from all forms of oppression and that without question includes the LGBTQ+ community.”
After thanking those on social media who called out the charity and McCarthy’s endorsement of it, the actress said Exodus Cry had been pulled from the initiative.
“We are so incredibly grateful for you ringing the bell and helping us be better. We’re sorry for our mistake. Oh boy, are we sorry for it,” she said. “Can’t believe that we missed it. And that’s it.”
While the controversy certainly dampened what McCarthy and WarnerMedia had likely anticipated would be a feel-good story during a decidedly un-feel-good year, McCarthy said she hoped their “mistake” wouldn’t hurt the overall goal of the project.
“I want to say I hope it doesn’t ding the other charities because they’re really doing some amazing things, and ‘20 Days of Kindness’ is really meant to shine the light on all of those wonderful charities,” she said. “So, let the kindness continue, and thank you. Thanks for the help; we really needed it.”
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
— Borat 2 Spoilers: How Sacha Baron Cohen Pulled Off His Biggest Stunts
— Jane Fonda Talks Her Life, Her Activism, and Her New Book
— Sex and Texts, Secrets and Lies: How the Charlotte Kirk Saga Blew Up Hollywood
— India Oxenberg Opens Up About Her Family’s NXIVM Nightmare
— Eric Andre Isn’t Going Anywhere
— The Best TV Shows and Movies on Amazon, Hulu, Disney+, and More in November
— The Low-Key, Life-Affirming Insanity of The Drew Barrymore Show
— From the Archive: The Birth of Bond
— Not a subscriber? Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now.