Sean Penn is pretty widely known to be an asshole with a penchant for violence and out of control anger, but he doesn’t see it that way. So when Lee Daniels compared Sean to the likes of Terrence Howard — a fellow abuser — Sean got mad and decided to sue for $10 million for “defamation of character”.
Here’s what Daniels said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter:
“That poor boy,” he says, fiercely protective of his actor. He then alludes to other actors who have been the subject of domestic abuse allegations in the past. “[Terrence] ain’t done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he’s some f—in’ demon,” says Daniels. “That’s a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America.”
I mean… he’s not wrong. But despite Sean’s lengthy rap sheet for assault, he prefers everyone forget that side of him and instead think he’s a super amazing humanitarian.
From Vulture:
Filed Tuesday in the New York Supreme Court, Penn’s complaint asserts that Daniels’s statements against “one of this generation’s most highly-acclaimed and greatest artists and humanitarians” falsely equates him with Howard, and are at the behest of a “misguided campaign” to promote Empire. “As a result of Penn’s status as a public figure, he has for years been the subject of scandalous, scurrilous, and baseless attacks,” the suit claims (the entire complaint can be read in full here). “But Penn, like any citizen, has a right to defend himself and will no longer tolerate the reckless and malicious behavior of others, who seek to aggrandize themselves or their projects at his expense. Accordingly, and because of Daniels’ defamatory statements, Penn brings this action for monetary relief, and to deter Daniels and others from their defamatory actions.”
The complaint continues: “Penn (unlike Howard) has never been arrested, much less convicted, for domestic violence, as his ex-wives (including Madonna) would confirm and attest.”*
Uh… this lawsuit will likely (hopefully) be thrown out before it takes up any more of anyone’s time, because it’s fucking ridiculous. You don’t want to be compared to an abuser? Don’t abuse people. It’s not hard. Daniels did nothing but speak the truth – sorry if you don’t like it, Sean.