Adam Levine, a judge on "The Voice," has sparked a tempest-in-a-teapot controversy when, after his preferred competitors were sent home by national vote, he said, "I hate this country." The context made clear that he was responding to America's rejection of two chanteuses, and yet Levine was taken to task on the conservative blogosphere (a search for "adam levine" + "#tcot" on Twitter was particularly robust).
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Levine initially attempted to make clear that he'd been joking:
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However, he eventually apologized to the nation that has made "The Voice" a career-reviving hit. "I obviously love my country very much and my comments last night were made purely out of frustration," said Levine:
Being a part of 'The Voice,' I am passionately invested in my team and want to see my artists succeed. Last night's elimination of Judith and Sarah was confusing and downright emotional for me and my comments were made based on my personal dissatisfaction with the results. I am very connected to my artists and know they have long careers ahead, regardless of their outcome on the show.
That Levine had to apologize at all is indicative of the hair-trigger temper of the conservative entertainment consumers who've suspected Levine of sedition for years. While he's dependent on their goodwill in order to keep raking in viewers, Lena Dunham, a star who's so niche that Taylor Swift had to explain to Great American Country television who she was, is able to disregard the ire of conservatives. Dunham did not apologize after tweeting about urinating on Memorial Day -- and instead asked her critics why, exactly, they were so angry.
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