Advertisement

Celebrities react to U.S. dentist’s killing of Cecil the lion

Cecil the lion, pictured in an undated photo from the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University. Courtesy wildcru.org

TORONTO — People around the world are outraged about the killing of Cecil, a lion that was part of an Oxford University research project in Africa.

American dentist Walter Palmer reportedly paid $55,000 USD to hunt the 13-year-old lion, according to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.

Celebrities are among those sharing their reactions on social media.

The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik tweeted simply: “Oh Cecil. I’m sorry.”

“There are so many ways to be a f***ing idiot in the modern world,” opined director Judd Apatow.

“F*** THAT GUY WHO KILLED THAT LION,” tweeted comedian Margaret Cho.

READ MORE: Dentist who killed Cecil bombarded by threats

Actor, comedian and director Ricky Gervais tried to understand why Palmer took down the lion.

Story continues below advertisement

“It’s not for food. It’s not the shooting, or tin cans would do,” he tweeted. “It must just be the thrill of killing. Mental.”

Actor Paul Wesley was equally perplexed, wondering “why would any sane and decent person opt to kill such a beautiful animal?” Sharon Osbourne, co-host of The Talk, did not hold back.

In his Daily Mail column, TV personality Piers Morgan said he would “love to go hunting one day with Dr. Walter Palmer the killer dentist… so I can stuff and mount him for MY office wall.”

Story continues below advertisement

Morgan wrote: “Dr. Palmer makes me puke. He’s just a smirking, vile, callous assassin with no heart, whose shameless boasting of his disgusting exploits is almost as repellent as the exploits themselves.”

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel called Palmer “the most hated man in America who never advertised Jell-O pudding.”

Kimmel, who became visibly emotional, slammed the dentist. “Why are you shooting a lion in the first place? I’m honestly curious to know why a human being would feel compelled to do that? How is that fun? Is it that difficult for you to get an erection that you have to kill things that are stronger?

“If you’re some A-hole dentist who wants a lion’s head over the fireplace in his man cave so his douche bag buddies can gather around it and drink scotch and tell him how awesome he is, that’s just vomitous.”

BELOW: Watch Jimmy Kimmel talk about the killing of Cecil

Here’s a look at some of the comments from other famous folks:

Story continues below advertisement

Sponsored content

AdChoices