On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it's important to talk about King's legacy. However, one thing you might not want to do if you're comedy actor Rob Schneider is explain the holiday to civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
Unfortunately, that went down Monday on Twitter.
Schneider, best known for absurd comedies Deuce Bigalow and The Hot Chick, tweeted out a message to Lewis, a man who walked alongside King at the March on Washington, recently earned the ire of President-elect Trump and the same day spoke about spreading love at an MLK breakfast.
Rep. Lewis. You are a great person. But Dr. King didn't give in to his anger or his hurt. That is how he accomplished & won Civil Rights.
— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) January 16, 2017
"Rep. Lewis. You are a great person. But Dr. King didn't give in to his anger or his hurt," Schneider wrote. "That is how he accomplished & won Civil Rights."
Twitter didn't take too kindly to what many called Schneider attempting to "whitesplain" King's legacy to Lewis, a man who could much more credibly do so.
.@RobSchneider don't whitesplain mlk to the man who literally sat at the table with mlk pic.twitter.com/oAg4VqlEb4
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) January 16, 2017
Rob Schneider trying to give John Lewis advice on MLK is like someone playing call of duty trying to give a navy seal advice on combat.
— Ashley Riggs (@Just1MoreAshley) January 16, 2017
@RobSchneider naw man, you're not the one. pic.twitter.com/UNqSKlDIA9
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) January 16, 2017
@RobSchneider shouts to you for making The Hot Chick but maybe don't explain the struggle for civil rights to people who were actually in it
— Richard Lawler (@rjcc) January 16, 2017
Rob Schneider is lecturing John Lewis, JOHN FRIGGIN LEWIS, on what Martin Luther King Jr. would have done. This planet is too ridiculous bye
— Emanuel Zbeda (@therealezway) January 16, 2017
Rob Schneider lecturing @repjohnlewis is the most embarrassing thing he's ever done. Yes, this includes The Animal.
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) January 16, 2017
Rob Schneider: known for his hot takes on racial justice pic.twitter.com/rqdVFregHJ
— Eliza Skinner (@elizaskinner) January 16, 2017
imagine trying to explain to John Lewis who Rob Schneider is
— good ol shrill (@theshrillest) January 16, 2017
