Reggaeton megastar Nicky Jam took back his endorsement of former President Donald Trump on Wednesday in the aftermath of a much-maligned joke made at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, CNN reported.
In an Instagram post to his more than 43 million followers, Nicky Jam, who was born Nick Rivera Caminero, said he had supported Trump primarily based on his economic views saying, "[Trump] being a businessman, I thought it was the best move."
"Never in my life did I think that a month later a comedian would come to criticize my country, to speak poorly of my country, and therefore I renounce any support to Donald Trump and move aside from any political situation. Puerto Rico se respeta, Nicky Jam," he posted in Spanish.
The off-color comments were made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe as part of his routine warming up the crowd prior to Trump's speech at Madison Square Garden. Hinchcliffe, who hosts the popular podcast "Kill Tony," stirred controversy Sunday when he made fun of Puerto Rico saying, "I don't know if you know this, but there's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico."
Trump told ABC News on Tuesday that he did not hear the comments and did not know who Hinchcliffe was at the time of the event.
Last month, the Latin superstar appeared on stage with Trump at a campaign rally in Las Vegas wearing a red Make American Great Again hat. Nicky Jam is the most recent Puerto Rican star to denounce Hinchcliffe's comments and by extension Trump. Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin, and Jennifer Lopez have all since publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the days following the MSG rally.
Not everyone in the entertainment community was offended by Hinchcliffe's routine. Comedian John Stewart said, "having a roast comedian come to a pollical rally a week before Election Day [was] not the best decision. I find that guy very funny. I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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