Bette Midler Gives a ‘Thumbs Down’ to the Supreme Court With ‘Wizard of Oz’ Parody Song
Bette Midler is going down the Yellow Brick Road to justice.
The Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award winner took to social media on Tuesday (July 2) to share a Wizard of Oz parody song that calls out several Supreme Court Justices, including Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
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“Neil and Brett, you spiteful judges/ We gals are holding grudges/ Keep church and state apart/ You could be less disruptive, in all matters reproductive/ If you only had a heart,” she sings in the track, written by Eric Kornfeld, with music direction by Midler’s long-time associate, Marc Shaiman. The song is a parody of “If I Only Had a Brain,” the Oz classic written in 1939 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg.
“Thumbs down to autocracy!! #VoteBlue2024ProtectDemocracy,” she captioned the post.
Midler has long been an outspoken liberal and critic of Trump’s, but even she found herself in hot water in 2022 over making what some perceived as anti-trans comments on Twitter in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. At the time, the controversy ignited a discussion around the importance of using inclusive language. Midler insisted there was “no intention of anything exclusionary or transphobic” in her sentiments.
“The truth is, Democracy is slipping through our fingers! I’m all in on trying to save Democracy for ALL PEOPLE. We must unite, because, in case you haven’t been paying attention, divided we will definitely fall,” she noted at the time.
Rania Aniftos
Billboard
