Skip to Content

Sean Penn channeled his inner Morgan Freeman this week.

The actor raised eyebrows by calling Tea Party members a bunch of racists, drawing a stinging rebuke from the national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots.

Penn referred to Tea Partiers as the “Get the N-Word Out of the White House Party” on Piers Morgan Tonight, saying its members want to “lynch” President Obama.

That sentiment and word choice did not sit well with many.

The Hollywood Gossip Logo

Said Mark Meckler, co-founder and national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots:

“I’m fairly certain that Sean Penn has never been to a tea party or met anyone who belongs to a local tea party. I’d be happy to sit down and speak with him if he’s ever interested in really speaking with one of us and learning what we are about instead of just slandering millions of his fellow American citizens with racist hatred.”

“While protected by the 1st Amendment, this rhetoric has no place in reasonable discourse in America. Then again, no one ever accused Sean Penn of ‘reasonable discourse.’”

We know where Herman Cain stands on this, but what about you?

Is the Tea Party racist?