Tweets Gone Wrong

Everyone loves Twitter. You can catch the latest news, follow gossip, find out what your friends are doing and you can even get on your very own soapbox and shout out at the world. But soap boxes can get you in trouble, and twitter soapboxes seem to be a magnet for trouble. Here are some of our favorite tweeters who learned that the hard way.

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The Tweeter:  Anthony Weiner

The Twitter Account:  @repWeiner  

The Story:  Yes, we get the irony is Weiner and he sent pictures of his weiner to young women. That was certainly the icing on this scandal, but the meaty part is Weiner’s complete mishandling of the situation. The congressman posted a picture to his twitter, thinking he was sending a private message of his junk. Then he denied sending the photo and insisted someone had hacked into the account and sent the picture. That was a lie that zero people believed. If hackers can now break into our pants and get photos of our delicates, then we’re all in big trouble.

Thanks to biggovernment.com for the photo of Anthony Weiner’s Tweet timeline.

 

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The Tweeter:  Gilbert Gottfried

The Twitter Account:  @RealGilbert

The Story:  Most comedians use Twitter almost like a sketchpad to jot down new jokes and ideas. The unfiltered stream is a new and unique way of looking at the creative process, but it can also cause a lot of trouble. In Gottfried’s case it was a case of “too soon” after making jokes about the Tsunami in Japan. It cost him his cushy job of shouting one word into a microphone. Even though he made similar jokes about 9/11, that was in front of an audience and he was able to win them back. Even though it’s easy to connect to people through twitter, you can’t make connections with an audience.

Thanks to huffingtonpost.com for the tweet images.

 

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The Tweeter:  Emma Sullivan

The Twitter Account:  @emmakate988

The Story:  In the old days when you were forced to go to an assembly, you’d sit in the back with your friends and joke about how much it sucks. Now you can tweet that sentiment for everyone to see. That’s what Emma Sullivan did while listening to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback speak a field trip. Strangely enough it was Browback’s own people who saw the tweet and demanded an apology from young Sullivan. However this backfired on the governor and made him look like a bully for singling out this one girl. Emma stood by her tweet and it was Gov. Brownback that ended up apologizing to her.

Thanks to politicalgates.blogspot.com and thinkprogress.org for the images.

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The Tweeter:  Roland Martin

The Twitter Account:  @rolandsmartin

The Story:  A lot of people still don’t seem to realize that twitter is not just joking around between friends, it’s public and for everyone to see. Roland Martin learned this the hard way when he made a little crack at men who might enjoy the new David Beckham underwear line. People jumped over it and labeled it as hate speech, blowing it way out of  proportion. Martin is lucky that he was only suspended in an era where employers will sell you out to protect their bottom line.

Thanks to newstalk1280.com for the image.

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The Tweeter:  Jeff Cox, Deputy Attorney General of Indiana

The Twitter Account:  @JCCentCom 

The Story:  In February 2011, citizens of Wisconsin led large-scale protests against legislation that eliminated public unions and thwarted workers’ rights. Progressive news outlet Mother Jones tweeted that police were planning to remove protesters from the Capital Building at 2am. Cox replied to this tweet stating, “Use live ammunition.” A subsequent investigation found Cox had been running wild on Twitter, referring to an Indiana teen as “a black teenage thug who was (deservedly) beaten up” by police, ranting against environmental activists as “enviro-Nazis,” and un-ironically stating his Afghanistan policy as “KILL! KILL! ANNIHILATE!” Yikes. Cox lost his position.

 

Thanks to motherjones.com for the images of the tweets.

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The Tweeter:  Nicole Crowther, Glee Extra

The Twitter Account:  @NicoleCrowther 

The Story:  In April 2011, recurring Glee extra Nicole Crowther tweeted a spoiler to her 2,000+ followers, revealing who the prom king and queen would be on an upcoming episode of the hit TV series. The tweet quickly spread around the ‘net, prompting an angry response from Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk: “@nicolecrowther Hope you’re qualified to do omething besides work in entertainment.” Falchuk added: “Who are you to spoil something talented people have spent months to create?”  Crowther has been dismissed as a Glee extra and told by extras casting agencies that she will never work on another FOX series or any series they cast.

Thanks to dailymail.co.uk for the image.

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The Tweeter:  Mike Bascik, Former MLB Pitcher/Radio Host

The Twitter Account:  @MikeBacsik

The Story:  In April 2010, a Dallas radio station fired sports anchor Mike Bascik following his Twitter post after Game 5 of the Mavericks-Spurs NBA playoff series. Bacsik, an ardent Mavs fan, wrote “Congrats to all the dirty Mexicans in San Antonio,” following the Spurs’ victory. Bacsik, a former baseball pitcher famous for surrendering Barry Bonds’ 756th career home run, was fired from  his radio gig days after his post.

Thanks to AOLnews.com for the image.

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The Tweeter: Jon-Barrett Ingels – Celebrity waiter

The Twitter Account:  @PapaBarrett 

The Story:  In 2010, actress Jane Adams went to dinner at Barney Greengrass, a Beverly Hills restaurant. Adams, the star of HBO’s series Hung, pulled a dine-and-dash and skipped out on the $13.44 bill. The next day, her waiter, Jon-Barret Ingels took to Twitter to vent his frustrations.   “Tues: Jane Adams, star of HBO series “Hung” skipped out on a $13.44 check. Her agent called and payed the following day. NO TIP!!!”  One month later, Adams or her representatives got wind of the angry post. Adams returned and confronted Ingels, before paying him a $3 tip. Ingels posted about the encounter on Twitter, before seeking to undo the damage, posting that Adams is “a great actress” and asking her to appear in his new web series. Ingels – who had posted about other  celebrities in the past – was fired shortly after his second encounter with Adams.

Thanks to blogs.brandyourself.com for the image.

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Justin Bieber’s manager Scott Braun and record label exec James Roppo fired for NOT Tweeting

On November 2009, James Roppo and Scott Braun were asked by police to help control an over rambunctious crowd of Bieber fans. According to the New York Post, the police asked the respective label executive and manager to Tweet saying that the concert event was canceled. An hour later the crowd of fans still remained and still no Tweet had appeared online. Months later both Braun and Roppo were arrested for the November incident for failure to cooperate with the police.

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The Tweeter:  Gilbert Arenas

The Twitter Account:  @gilbertarenas

The Story:  Gilbert Arenas has been involved in many controversies over the years for his off-court antics. Probably the most well-known of these antics was Gilbert Arenas bringing guns into a locker-room to settle a gambling dispute with a fellow Washington Wizards teammate. What people don’t know is that the incident was brought to the attention of NBA commissioner David Stern via Tweets that Arenas had posted concerning the incident. Arenas even posted pictures of himself waving his index fingers like pistols. If not for Arenas’ Tweets the incident would have most likely gone unreported. Unfortunately for the former NBA star, an investigation soon followed after his Tweets. Arenas was suspended from the NBA for the remainder of the season and was convicted for the incident, receiving two years probation, and a sentence of 30 days in a half-way house. Since then Arena has been traded by the Wizards and has never again reached his former stardom.

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The Tweeter:  Nir Rosen

The Twitter Account:  @nirrosen

The Story:  Journalist and A Law Fellow at New York University, Nir Rosen tweeted some disturbing remarks about CBS reporter, Lara Logan’s sexual assault. This included Rosen saying “Lara Logan had to outdo Anderson. Where was her  buddy McCrystal.” He soon apologized for the Tweet and resigned from his fellowship the next day.

Thanks to mediaite.com for the image.

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The Tweeter:  Ozzie Guillen

The Twitter Account:  @OzzieGuillen

The Story:  Guillen is well-known was his boisterous personality, so it should come as no surprise that this would translate over Twitter. The Chicago White Sox manager got ejected from a baseball game and immediately started tweeting about it. He called the ejection”pathetic” and said the umpire was a “tough guy.” As a result, Guillen was suspended for two games. It was the first time baseball has penalized a player, a coach or a manager for use of Twitter during a game.

 

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Tweeter:  Damian Goddard

Twitter Account:  @HeyDamo

Damian Goddard was fired for tweeting his opinion on same-sex marriage. Hockey agent Todd Reynolds criticized Rangers forward Sean Avery for publicly supporting the cause. Goddard tweeted, “I completely and wholeheartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage.” Soon after the Tweet Goddard was fired.

Thanks torontomike.com for the image.