Ice-T reacts to fan saying “Law & Order: SVU” has gone 'woke': 'Lol like I give a f???'
The actor and rapper also took the opportunity to say, "F John Wayne."
Ice-T may not be sure what it means when someone complains that something is "woke" these days, but one thing is certain: He doesn't care.
Case in point, the rapper-turned-actor tweeted about filming the 26th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit earlier this month, and an upset viewer asked him about the show's content weeks later. "Did they write SVU back to normal yet?" the person groused. "It started to go woke." The viewer didn't define the term in their post, though they later complained that the show "over emphasized the whole DEI and 'body shaming.'"
Replying to the (former?) fan, Ice called out the ridiculous nature of the question with a question of his own. "What the F is Woke?" he asked. He then immediately clarified that he had no interest in the subject, adding, "lol Like I give a F---."
Related: Law & Order: SVU star Ice-T can’t believe Benson and Stabler ‘haven’t hooked up yet’
The parody account @GaryPetersonUSA then got in the mix and offered a hyperbolic definition of wokeness. "Woke means tearing down my John Wayne statues and forcing me to erect a Spider-Man fountain that sprays gay beer on my lawn that turns it into astroturf," the account wrote.
That prompted a follow-up from Ice-T: "That sounds Dope," he said. "F John Wayne." (It wasn't immediately clear whether Ice thought the account was real, but his point remains.)
What the F is Woke? lol Like I give a Fuck. https://t.co/qVHbgWnhxD
— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) August 27, 2024
Earlier this year, Ice-T and his SVU costar Mariska Hargitay spoke to Entertainment Weekly about how the procedural series has changed since its debut in 1999 — and none of their observations had to do with its "woke" factor, however one might define it.
After watching an old clip of herself and Christopher Meloni, Hargitay said, "It's got a cute vibe. It's so sweet and innocent, and I love that. If you gave us that same scene and we did it now, it would be oh so different. But I love looking at the beginning, so we can really sit in appreciation of the evolution of these characters. And the evolution — especially of Olivia Benson, and the maturity, and this woman growing into her power. It's beautiful."
Ice-T noted that the clip had a more laid-back tone. "You know what I notice? It had nothing to do with the crime," he said. "And very rarely do we now shoot any scenes that have anything to do other than with the case. That was about you guys. I guess they were building the characters, so people could understand who you were."
Related: Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T talk SVU’s most memorable guest stars (and who they still want)
In the same interview, Ice-T also reflected on being Hargitay's right-hand man on the show. "In my life, I'm the boss of most of the stuff, [but] I have no problem riding shotgun," he said. "There's a power in being second, by being the shotgun, being the force. So I'm not in competition with Mariska. In reality, this is her television show. And on the show, I play her as the boss. So she's the boss, and I don't mind that. Because she needs somebody to hold her down. And sometimes that person is the second person, it's real."
Law & Order: SVU will return for season 26 on Thursday, Oct. 3, on NBC.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.