Amy Schumer has come under fire after she posted a since-deleted photo of Nicole Kidman at the US Open to her Instagram.
The comedian, 42, was accused of “bullying” after she posted an image of the Big Little Lies star at the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. In the photo, Kidman appeared to be intensely watching the women’s singles final between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, which took place on Saturday 9 September.
The 56-year-old Australian actor was pictured wearing a pink dress, staring wide-eyed at the tennis court and resting her hand underneath her chin. She completed the look with a tailored white jacket, and wore her strawberry blonde hair in a side ponytail.
Schumer took to her Instagram on Monday 11 September to share the photo of Kidman, as she seemingly poked fun at the actor’s appearance with the caption: “This how human sit.” However, she quickly received backlash for her post, as many people accused the Trainwreck star of being “mean” to Kidman.
“Are you cyberbullying Oscar and Emmy winner Nicole Kidman right now,” one person wrote under Schumer’s since-deleted post, according to Page Six.
“Bringing others down is always a sign of our own internal insecurities anyway, so the critics here should hold a mirror,” said someone else.
One Instagram follower wrote, per the Daily Mail: “This post seems beneath you. What point are you trying to make here?”
“Wow so mean! I expected one of my favourite comedians to have more respect for other people’s feelings than this,” another user said.
Schumer quickly deleted the photo on Monday and apologised in a subsequent post, which she later deleted as well. In her apology, she seemingly joked that she posted the photo of Kidman because she looked like “an alien”.
“I want to apologise to all the people I hurt posting a photo of Nicole Kidman and alluding to her being an alien,” the comedian said.
She then appeared to reference a video made by Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, after they wrote letters in support of convicted rapist Danny Masterson. “I will be asking the cast of That ‘70s Show to write letters advocating for my forgiveness,” she said in the since-deleted post, along with the hashtag “#takingtimetoheal”.
While Kidman has not responded to Schumer’s jab, the Eyes Wide Shut star congratulated Gauff on her US Open win via Instagram Stories. “Congratulations Coco!” Kidman captioned a photo of Gauff over the weekend, according to the Daily Mail. “Thank you US Open! Great Women’s Final 2023.”
Schumer also attended the women’s final tournament on Saturday alongside her husband, Chris Fischer. Much like Kidman, the I Feel Pretty star opted to wear pink for the occasion, sporting a pink collared shirt and black shorts.
After the tournament, she also congratulated Gauff on her win, captioning a post of the tennis player on Instagram: “Go @cocogauff !!!!”
Gauff claimed victory over world number one Sabalenka at the US Open over the weekend, making her the first American teenager to win the women’s singles tennis tournament since Serena Williams in 1999. The 19 year old beat the player from Belarus with a 2-6 6-3 6-2 victory.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Schumer and Kidman for comment.
