Marc Anthony shot back at the racist and derogatory comments that were made after he sang God Bless America at the MLB All Star Game. The Latin singer appeared on the ABC morning show "LIVE with Kelly & Michael," where he talked about his origins and where he was born.
"Some people said they were upset because someone from a foreign country sang God Bless America. I just want to make things clear, I was born and raised in New York and no one is a bigger New Yorker than me," Anthony said during his appearance on the show. "I am Puerto Rican and New Yorker now more than ever."
The singer was attacked on Twitter by people who expressed their dislike at someone singing the national anthem who they believed was a foreigner, specifically a "Mexican."
The Tumblr site PublicShaming has collected some of the tweets directed at Jennifer Lopez' former husband, some which include foul and derogatory language directed at the singer.
"Welcome to america where god bless america is sung at our national passtime by a mexican," user @tylerpounds tweeted.
"Shouldn't an american be singing god bless america? #getoutofmycountry #allstar game," said @kriederkid.
Many tweets refered to Anthony as a Mexican despite the fact that the singer has no Mexican heritage. Anthony was born in the United States to a Puerto Rican family and has often refered to his upbringing as bicultural.
The singer's fans were quick to rush to the singer's defense by saying that the comments were repugnant and by highlighting the fact that Anthony grew up in the spanish speaking community of East Harlem, New York, which is predominantly inhabited by families of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent.
"These comments are disgusting. @MarcAnthony is American/raised in Spanish Harlem. God Bless America," wrote @EllaNista in response to the tide of comments condeming Anthony's appearance at the game. Other users pointed to the irony that people complained about Anthony singing God Bless America, when professional baseball is filled with players of Latino descent.
Anthony is not the first singer to suffer a public backlash because of his cultural background. Last month, a young boy named Sebastien de la Cruz, triggered an outrage when he sang the national anthem at the NBA finals while wearing a full mariachi custom. Users took to twitter to criticize the decision as "anti-american" and "pro-immigration propaganda."
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