Snowboarder Shaun White in hot water over Halloween costume
Shaun White's Halloween costume is being pilloried online for being insensitive to the Special Olympics community. White dressed up as a mentally challenged character from the movie 'Tropic Thunder.'
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White apologized on Tuesday to Special Olympians over his decision to post a picture of himself dressed up for Halloween as the character Simple Jack from the 2008 movie "Tropic Thunder."
Simple Jack was a mentally challenged character played by Ben Stiller.
The snowboarder, 32, faced social media backlash and posted an apology on Twitter. He called his selection a poor choice.
"It was a last minute decision," he posted. "It was the wrong one. The Special Olympics were right to call me out on it. They do great work supporting so many tremendous athletes and I am sorry for being insensitive. Lesson learned."
A spokesman for the Special Olympics told TMZ in a statement that the organization was disappointed that White would choose an outfit that “causes so much pain.”
White has since deleted the Instagram post, but not before The Huffington Post took a screenshot of the picture.
Ben Stiller directed the hit film, which also featured Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Tom Cruise.
When the movie first came out, the Special Olympics called for people to avoid it over Simple Jack's role, which was widely mocked.
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