Kirstie Alley comes under attack on Twitter after declaring: ‘I’m voting for Donald Trump’

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Kirstie Alley came under attack on Twitter Saturday night after declaring: ‘I’m voting for Donald Trump because he’s NOT a politician.’

The Cheers actress, 69, shared her views on the presidential race, tweeting: ‘I voted for him 4 years ago for this reason and shall vote for him again for this reason. 

‘He gets things done quickly and he will turn the economy around quickly. There you have it folks there you have it’. 

But Alley, who is a high profile follower of the Church of Scientology, quickly faced high profile backlash for her tweet. It had been shared more 60,000 times and 204,000 times as of Sunday morning. Alley’s name was soon trending on the site. 

Her views sparked a fierce reaction online from some, including director Judd Apatow, who tweeted: ‘Shelly Long was way funnier than you.’

Long starred alongside Alley in Cheers.   

Comedian Natasha Rothwell, a writer for Saturday Night Live, said: ‘Kirstie Alley’s tweet screamed “I can’t read! I don’t watch the news! Black Lives Don’t Matter! My body, your choice! and Pussies wear masks! And sexuality is a preference!” 

‘But all I can think about is how 87% of the people on here will have to google who she is.’

The executive producer of Modern Family, Danny Zuker, added: ‘Breaking: Shelley Long quitting is no longer dumbest decision made by a “Cheers” actor.’ 

Alley, who starred in Look Who’s Talking, followed up her tweet with: ‘Don’t think I’ve ever seen so much name-calling in my life.

‘Definitely not on my site [sic] here anyway I guess I’m not allowed to have a viewpoint without being called a really nasty names by what I’m going to suppose are really nasty people.’

She added: ‘Stick to your guns. Not always easy to be under fire but always easier than going against your own integrity.’

Presenter Soledad O’Brien had retweeted Alley’s original post, writing: ‘Still a hot mess.’

Actor Adam Goldberg tweeted a picture of a plant, writing: ‘This is not a politician either. Also it doesn’t suck up all the oxygen.’

He later shared that Alley had blocked him on the site, posting the snowflake emoji.  

Comedian Desus Nice added: ‘kirstie alley never appeared on frasier so she’s been an opp.’

And journalist Stephen Crockett Jr. said: ‘I would call for all us to cancel Kirstie Alley but that would require us all going to thrift stores to find VHS copies of “Look Who’s Talking” and then burning them.’  

Don Moynihan, a professor at Georgetown University, said: ‘The President of the United States is, in fact, a politician.

‘Granted, not one with basic skills of coalition-building or managing a government, but he is a politician in the worst possible meaning of the term: empty promises, exploiting fear and sowing hatred.’

Some did rush to praise the actress. GOP rising star Kim Klacik wrote: ‘Your bravery is appreciated.’ 

In March Alley praised Trump for ‘taking charge & leading’ during coronavirus crisis. 

The Tonight Show’s John Melendez replied then: ‘Are you out of your mind? What press conferences are you watching? I watch the ones with lies, misinformation, & jabs at Mitt Romney, & others.’   

Kirstie has long been a Trump supporter, endorsing him in 2015 during his presidential run. 

She tweeted her support after the then-candidate was aggressively questioned by Scott Pelley during a 60 Minutes interview about his presidential run.

‘Pelley acting like an antagonist asshat,’ she tweeted. ‘I like Trump..fire at will.’ 

She then defended her position with a series of follow-up tweets.

However the following year she walked back her endorsement after the controversial ‘p***ygate’ tape emerged.