ADVERTISER

Actor receives death threats after tweeting about Michelle Obama

E-mail
January 21, 2010, 12:34 pm by Christina Wilkie

Actor Scott Baio is cooperating with the FBI and Twitter to determine who sent death threats to his Twitter account, in response to a post Baio tweeted that contained an unflattering photo of First Lady Michelle Obama.

Baio, a vocal Republican best-known for his starring role on the 1980's sitcom "Charles in Charge," posted the photo Tuesday night, accompanied by the words, ""WOW He wakes up to this every morning."

A torrent of criticism quickly followed, and Baio (shown here with wife Renee Sloan) appears to have spent the next 12 hours responding to the attacks and occasionally blocking people from communicating with him on the site.

It wasn't until mid-morning Wednesday that the notes grew noticeably more menacing.

Baio later posted:

PLEASE NOTE: The FBI has been contacted & we have a file number for the threats, along with twitter support. Thx

Unlike the digitally altered photo of Mrs. Obama that caused controversy last year when it was temporarily removed from Google, this photo shows the first lady making a surprised face; the kind of picture that could happen to anyone, especially someone photographed as frequently as Obama is.


ADVERTISER

Sign up

for the washington scene email list

About The Washington Scene

The Washington Scene is a high-end website filled with real-time pictures from the parties and events attended by Washington's elite and political celebrities. With a social calendar containing essential information about the most prestigious events — fundraisers, galas, charity balls, private parties, dinners and red carpet premiers — The Washington Scene is the go-to site for anyone who wants to keep tabs on people and networking in the nation's capital.

For questions and comments about The Washington Scene, please email
Jennifer Yingling: jennifery@thehill.com

For events and announcements, please email
Kate Oczypok: kateo@thehill.com

For tips and gossip items, please email
Judy Kurtz: jkurtz@thehill.com

Most Popular On The Washington Scene

Get latest news from The Hill direct to your inbox, RSS reader and mobile devices.

Home/News | News by Subject | Blogs | Business & Lobbying | Opinion | Capital Living | Special Reports | Jobs | Video | The Washington Scene