On Friday evening, the nation tuned in to see something courageous and groundbreaking happen.
In a two-hour interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC News’ 20/20, former Olympian Bruce Jenner came out as a woman.
“For all intents and purposes, I am a woman,” the former Olympian told Sawyer. “My whole life has been getting me ready for this,” Jenner added. “It’s not just the last few years where they’ve been treating me as a joke.”
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“I would always say I’ve always been very confused about my gender identity—since I was [a child],” Jenner said. “[Bruce] has been telling a lie his whole life about who he is, but I can’t do this any longer.”
The special, which attracted 16.9 million viewers—about four times the normal audience for 20/20—moved millions more on Twitter, and inspired a massive flood of celebs to lend Jenner their support on Twitter, from Oprah to Lady Gaga:
"All of us deserve the right to be loved for who we are ". Bravo #BruceJenner
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) April 25, 2015Bruce Jenner is a beautiful, brave human being. Sending him lots of love. He's saving lives and opening minds tonight.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) April 25, 2015Absolutely flawed at how courageous and brave Bruce Jenner is. So inspiring and so powerful. Shame on anyone who dare judge x
— SAM SMITH (@samsmithworld) April 25, 2015#BruceJennerABC Now that is bravery.❤️
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) April 25, 2015But one narrow-minded voice stood out, too—that of Kris Humphries, Kim Kardashian’s NBA-playing ex-husband. The two were notoriously married for 72 days following a gaudy two-part wedding TV special that aired on E!, with Kardashian filing for divorce on October 31, 2011.Humphries, an NBA basketball player currently under the employ of the Washington Wizards, wasn’t exactly a paragon of intelligence during his (thankfully) brief cameos on the E! reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and his ignorance was on full display when he tweeted the following about Jenner’s transition Friday night:
Man, I'm glad I got out when I did.
#Gottadoyou
— Kris Humphries (@KrisHumphries) April 25, 2015After receiving heaps of backlash, he later apologized via a series of tweets.
Following her split from Humphries, Kardashian began dating West in April 2012. Their daughter Nori “North” West was born in June 2013, and they were married on May 24, 2014, in Florence, Italy. And it was, according to Jenner, none other than West who helped Kardashian come to terms with her father’s momentous decision.
“He said to Kim, ‘Look, I could be married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and I am. I could have the most beautiful in the daughter in the world. I have that. But I'm nothing if I can't be me. If I can't be true to myself, they don't mean anything,’” recalled Jenner.
