Advertisement

Kentucky-Born George Clooney "Ashamed" After Breonna Taylor Decision

Celebrity PSA Demands Justice for Breonna Taylor

Celebrities including Kerry Washington, Alicia Keys, and Gabrielle Union promoted actionable ways to demand justice for Breonna Taylor in a new video that spotlights Taylor's mother.

During his remarks today, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron warned viewers and listeners that "celebrities, influencers, and activists" that have no connections to the state of Kentucky would "influence our thinking or capture our emotions" after a grand jury's decision in the Breonna Taylor case. One celebrity that has deep connections to Kentucky has made his opinions known: George Clooney. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Clooney released a statement saying that he was "ashamed" of the decision.

"There will be celebrities, influencers, and activists who have never lived in Kentucky who try to tell us how to feel, suggesting they understand the facts of this case, and that they know our community and the commonwealth better than we do," Cameron said. "But they do not."

RELATED: One Police Officer Has Been Charged For His Role in Breonna Taylor's Death

Clooney does know the state. Born and raised in Kentucky, his family still lives there and he owns a home there, as well.

"I was born and raised in Kentucky. Cut tobacco on the farms of Kentucky. Both my parents and my sister live in Kentucky. I own a home in Kentucky, and I was there last month," Clooney said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "The justice system I was raised to believe in holds people responsible for their actions. Her name was Breonna Taylor and she was shot to death in her bed by 3 white police officers, who will not be charged with any crime for her death."

Though Cameron clearly stated that Hollywood stars don't know about life in Kentucky, Clooney challenged that notion, saying that he grew up there, going to the schools and churches that teach what's right and what's wrong.

"I know the commonwealth. And I was taught in the schools and churches of Kentucky what is right and what is wrong," he continued. "I'm ashamed of this decision."

RELATED: Breonna Taylor's Family Has Received a $12 Million Settlement from Louisville

Clooney's latest statements echo the sentiments that he expressed in a guest column for The Daily Beast published earlier this year after the murder of George Floyd.

"We don't know when these protests will subside. We hope and pray that no one else will be killed. But we also know that very little will change. The anger and the frustration we see playing out once again in our streets is just a reminder of how little we've grown as a country from our original sin of slavery," he wrote. "This is our pandemic. It infects all of us, and in 400 years we've yet to find a vaccine."