Clooney Releases Statement Over Scathing Daily Mail Article

The Daily Mail recently ran a story claiming that George Clooney‘s fiancée‘s mother opposed their marriage over religious reasons and wanted her daughter to “marry within their strict Lebanese religious sect.”

Clooney responded in a op-ed saying that he “seldom responds to tabloids,” but clearly he felt strongly enough this time.

The Daily Mail has printed a completely fabricated story about my fiancée’s mother opposing our marriage for religious reasons. It says Amal’s mother has been telling “half of Beirut” that she’s against the wedding. It says they joke about traditions in the Druze religion that end up with the death of the bride.

Let me repeat that: the death of the bride.

But this lie involves larger issues. The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous. We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal. source

 
Clooney continues, writing that he is the “son of a newsman” (broadcast journalist Nick Clooney) and accepts that “freedom of speech can be an inconvenience to my private life.” But this particular story crossed “beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence.”

The Daily Mail has denied fabricating the story, but following the publication of Clooney’s op-ed, the Mail removed the original story from its website.