Priyanka Chopra reacts to Rosie O'Donnell's public apology: 'Google my name'
Priyanka Chopra is having none of Rosie O’Donnell’s apology.
The actress and comedian were topics of interest earlier this week — but not by choice.
It began when O’Donnell, 59, recalled a run-in she had with the actress and her husband, Nick Jonas, in Miami where she mistakenly thought self-help guru Deepak Chopra was Priyanka’s father simply because they share the same last name.
“I said, ‘Hi, Nick Jonas. You were great in Kingdom and ‘Hi, [Priyanka]. I know your dad.’ She goes, ‘You do? Who’s my dad?’ And I’m like, ‘Deepak,’” O’Donnell recalled in a TikTok video. “She’s like, ‘No, and Chopra is a common name.’ … I felt so embarrassed.”
O’Donnell later added, “To Nick Jonas, I apologize, and to the Chopra wife, I apologize too.”
That wasn’t enough for Chopra, however, who shared her thoughts on Instagram Wednesday night.
“Hi everyone. Some thoughts…,” the Bollywood star began.
“I have never taken myself so seriously to think everyone would know who I am, or my work for that matter,” she continued. “But if you wanted to make a public apology for a very awkward private encounter, I think probably best to take the time to google my name before doing it or even try to reach out directly.”
“We ALL deserve to be respected for our unique individuality and not be referred to as ‘someone’ or ‘wife’ especially in a sincere apology,” she added. “If we can learn to respect our differences in an authentic way, the world we raise our children in, will be amazing.”
“PS,” the actress concluded. “As I’ve said before, not all Chopra’s [sic] are related to the great Deepak, just as not all Smith’s [sic] are related to the legendary Will Smith.”
Jonas later re-shared his wife’s statement in an Instagram Story of his own, writing, "We'll [sic] said my love."
Chopra recently welcomed her first child via surrogate with Jonas. Her actual father, Dr. Ashok Chopra, died in June 2013.
Following the comedian's first video, commenters were quick to express their thoughts and criticize.
"Priyanka Chopra is one of the most famous Indian actors in the world. Love you, but let’s not call her 'Nick’s wife,'" one wrote in the comments.
"Do u assume all the white Smiths are related?" another added. "Also, the fact that u said 'Chopra wife' & 'someone chopra' w/o looking up her name says a lot more."
That's when O’Donnell decided to film a second apology:
“People thought that she was rude. She wasn’t rude. It was just awkward,” she said of Chopra in the second video. “I’m sure she gets sick of that. I’m sure I’m not the only one. According to the comments, a lot of people thought that, too, but she’s apparently a very well-known actress and more famous than him, people were saying. So I’m sure it felt weird to her, to begin with.”
O’Donnell added, “Anyway, Priyanka is her name. Priyanka. I hope I’m pronouncing that right. I just want to apologize to her and to everyone who thought that it was really inappropriate of me. Sorry, sometimes I f–k up. I did at Nobu.”
Much of the response to the comedian’s second video has appreciated the apology, but still raise valid concerns.
“You also mimicked her in a way to make her look bad. Glad you apologized but super disappointed in all the people who didn’t see the problem,” one person wrote.
“She is stunning,” one writer said of Chopra, to which O’Donnell replied, “Completely — serious beauty.”
“Wow — if we could all learn to apologize as easily as you just did — what a different world we would live in!” one added, while another fan chimed in, “It’s okay Rosie! we all make mistakes. you have a great genuine heart!”
