Twitter Defends Will Smith's 'King Richard' Following Unfair Criticism

Source: Samir Hussein / Getty

One white author’s ridiculous take about King Richard starring Will Smith drew the ire of Black Twitter. King Richard stars Will Smith as Richard Williams, the polarizing but insanely determined father of Venus and Serena Williams. The film details the rise of the Williams sisters, particularly Venus, from Richard Williams’ perspective while telling the story of his 78-page manifesto he came up with that put Venus and Serena on a path to greatness. The film has generated plenty of Oscar buzz, with many believing this is Will Smith’s best work since The Pursuit of Happyness and could land the actor for an Oscar nomination for his performance. But, of course, some people have felt the need to complain about the film’s telling the story of Venus and Serena Williams by focusing on their father. One tweet in particular from a white best-selling author Dr. Jessica Taylor had Twitter deeply confused.

In the now-viral tweet that made its rounds following the film’s release over the weekend, Taylor wrote, “Did they seriously make a film called ‘King Richard’ about the success of Serena and Venus Williams – but it’s about their dad, Richard?” She meant well, but she definitely should have Googled the film because she would have learned that the Williams sisters were involved with the project. Black Twitter schooled her in the form of 4,000 quote retweets of her initial tweet. One quote retweet came from Bernice King. She wrote, “Aren’t Venus and Serena the Executive Producers of #KingRichard? Doesn’t respecting their choice also honor their understanding of their path and acknowledge their power as women? It’s a powerful story. And, holistically, it’s much more important than the title indicates.”

Ms. King’s tweet was just the tip of the iceberg, with others also accusing Taylor of trying to hate on a positive portrayal of Black father in a movie.

Taylor’s boneheaded tweet is still up hilariously, but we wouldn’t be shocked if she muted it by now. King Richard, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green starring Will Smith, Saniyaa Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Aunjanue Ellis, and Jon Bernthal, is now playing in theaters and on HBO Max. You can peep more reactions in the gallery below. — Photo: Samir Hussein / Getty