PHOTOSYikes! Activist Shaun King Throws Shade At Kim Kardashian Over Rodney Reed Case
Nov. 18 2019, Updated 10:55 p.m. ET
Shaun King does not appear impressed by Kim Kardashian’s most recent social justice efforts. On November 18, the civil rights activist took to social media and appeared to express his frustration with the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star. Shaun, 40, started a petition online and worked tirelessly to free Rodney Reed, a death row inmate who was set to be executed despite reported evidence of his innocence. On November 15, he was granted a stay of execution.
Shaun posted a statement to his Instagram on November 18. “You don’t have to believe anything I’ve ever said about Rodney Reed. Believe The Innocent Project. Believe The Texas Board of Pardons & Paroles which just voted unanimously to stop his execution. Believe the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals which just granted an appeal,” he wrote.
One user commented on his post, and asked the activist, “Why was Kim Kardashian on the Today show being interviewed about this and not you?” Shaun replied, “Because she likes being on TV and I like doing the work.”
Fans flocked to Instagram to chime in on Shaun’s claim. “No lies detected. Kim loves to be seen,” one wrote. “He has put in a lot of work but y'all always praise Kim,” another added. A third fan mentioned that Kim, 39, and her husband Kanye West “only care about the attention.”
Others defended Kim and the work she is doing. “He sound salty. She putting in work too,” one fan wrote. “He had no reason to shade her. She gets things done,” another commented. “Don’t be shady with Kim. She really is trying,” a third user said.
On November 15, the KKW mogul traveled to Texas to meet Rodney, and found out during their meeting that the stay was granted. "Today, I had the honor of meeting #RodneyReed in person and the privilege of sitting with him when he got the news that the highest court in Texas had issued a stay of execution and remanded the case back to the trial court for further consideration," Kim tweeted.
“So grateful for the commitment and passion of everyone who voiced their support, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for their recommendation to issue a 120 day reprieve, and the courts for issuing a stay!" she added. She first got involved in Rodney’s case in October, and took to Twitter to raise awareness about his story. She appeared on the Today show on November 18 to speak about Rodney and his story.
“When someone has been through so much trauma and so much disappointment in their life that, especially when they feel like they haven’t been heard, you can imagine still a sense of disbelief,” she said.
Shaun, the cofounder of Real Justice PAC, created an online petition which garnered nearly three million signatures. He also worked tirelessly to raise awareness about Rodney’s predicament and give the public information on ways they could help. Rodney spent 21 years on death row and was supposed to be executed by lethal injection on November 20.
