Elton John sang, “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.” That song was released in 1976, but nowadays, “Sorry” just rolls right off the tongues or Twitter feeds of celebrities who find themselves at odds with public opinion. Although a few odd boldfacers don’t seem to care. For example, Joan Rivers refused to apologize for a Holocaust joke she made on “E! Fashion Police” in February, and George Clooney recently told Esquire that Leonardo DiCaprio and his entourage suck at basketball and dished on a feud with Russell Crow. But the consensus is clear: Asking for forgiveness is in.
Here are some of the most recent celebrities who have found solace, redemption and sometimes a career jump-start in public contrition.
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1. Jessica Hart to Taylor Swift
Kevin Kane/FilmMagic/ Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic After Swift performed at last week’s Victoria’s Secret fashion show, catwalker Hart cracked that the singer wasn’t exactly VS material. “God bless her heart. I think she’s great. But, I don’t know, to me, she didn’t fit. I don’t know if I should say that,” she told WWD. Well, she did say it. And the lingerie company’s CMO said Hart was “wildly misinterpreted,” as if there were a language barrier. The Aussie stunner then backtracked, oozed praise for the singer and blamed her Swift slight on being overworked.
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2. Alec Baldwin to GLAAD
The hot-tempered Baldwin has long been Teflon when it comes to controversial statements costing him endorsements or gigs. But last week, after Baldwin hurled homophobic slurs at a Post photographer, he was suspended from his MSNBC talk show — and found it in his heart to say sorry to GLAAD. “Words are important. I understand that, and will choose mine with great care going forward. Behavior like this undermines hard-fought rights that I vigorously support.”
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3. Rob Ford to Torontonians
Every day, portly Toronto Mayor Ford finds a new reason to apologize to his constituents. Whether it was for smoking crack cocaine, bragging about oral sex with his long-suffering wife or knocking over a fellow legislator, Rob Ford puts the “Eh” in apology. But while the comically scandalous pol might be quick to apologize, he’s refused to resign despite mounting pressure.
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4. Lululemon CEO to his customers
And they thought some transparent yoga pants were a p.r. disaster. In a recent interview, Lululemon CEO Chip Wilson told Bloomberg TV that the pants weren’t for all women. “Quite frankly, some women’s bodies just actually don’t work,” he said. Ladies popped out of their tranquil downward dog poses faster than you could say “Namaste” to call for his head. A teary Wilson issued a YouTube video in which he said, “I’m really sad. I’m sad for the repercussions of my actions. I’m sad for the people at Lululemon who I care so much about, that have really had to face the brunt of my actions.”
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5. Jimmy Kimmel to China
The late-night comedian hosted a “kids table” segment in which a 6-year-old boy said the US should “kill everyone in China” to solve their debt problem. Kids say the darnedest things, but Kimmel responded by jokingly asking, “OK, that’s an interesting idea . . . Should we allow the Chinese to live?” Kimmel apologized to protesters outside his studio who had signs depicting him with a Hitler mustache and swastika, while ABC continues to issue mea culpas.
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6. Paula Deen to the world
Perhaps the most cringe-worthy public plea for forgiveness was Food Network star Deen, who hemorrhaged business partners and endorsements when she admitted in a May deposition to using the “N” word years ago. She said in a bizarre, erratic YouTube video: “I want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that I’ve done . . . I beg you, my children, my team, my fans, my partners, I beg for your forgiveness.”
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7. ESPN apologizing for Brent Musburger’s comments on Katherine Webb
Aaron M. Sprecher/AP Photo/ Michael N. Todaro/WireImage As the University of Alabama trampled Notre Dame in the BCS Bowl in January, veteran sportscaster Musburger moved from the game to Webb, the comely girlfriend of Bama quarterback AJ McCarron. “What a beautiful woman. Wow. Whoa,” the septuagenarian said. Viewers complained that Musburger was being creepy and objectifying the former Miss Alabama. While Musburger said he didn’t feel like he had done anything wrong, his employer, ESPN, apologized for his comments, saying he “went too far.” Webb didn’t see it that way. In fact, she was flattered. “He just said some nice things about me. I agreed that he didn’t need to apologize,” she told The Post.
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8. Gordon Gee apologizes to the Big Ten Conference
Joe Robbins/Getty Images/ Jackson Laizure/Getty Images When Ohio State’s former president joked at a meeting last year that Notre Dame wasn’t allowed in the Big Ten Conference because “those damn Catholics” couldn’t be trusted, he should have just headed straight to the confession booth. The gaffe-prone Gee, like a guilty altar boy, was quick to ask for forgiveness. “The comments I made were just plain wrong, and in no way do they reflect what the university stands for. They were a poor attempt at humor and entirely inappropriate. There is no excuse for this, and I am deeply sorry.”