Nicole Scherzinger’s comment on Russell Brand's 'Make Jesus First Again' post sparks viral hat meme

Nicole Scherzinger, the ex-Pussycat Dolls member who’s currently performing on Broadway in Sunset Boulevard, continues to face online criticism after she expressed an interest in buying a Christian version of Donald Trump’s MAGA hat – which many have taken as a sign the singer is a supporter of the Republican president-elect.

Scherzinger left a comment – since deleted – under a recent Instagram post from actor Russell Brand in which he is holding the familiar red hat but with the words “Make Jesus First Again”.

She responded: “Where do I get this hat!!!?”

When this started to circulate on social media, many expressed their disappointment at Scherzinger potentially being a Trump backer, with one writing “we were all rooting for you” and another tweeting the competition for the Best Actress award at next year’s Tonys “got a little less competitive” because of the controversy.

Scherzinger later apologised in a lengthy statement to her Instagram Stories on Friday, writing: “I deeply apologise for the hurt caused by my recent engagement with some social media posts. When I commented on these posts, I made the mistake of not realising they could easily be interpreted as being politically related and I apologize to anyone who understandably reached that conclusion.

“Many presumptions are being drawn, which do not reflect who I am, what I stand for, or who I voted for.

“Many of the marginalized communities feeling hurt and concerned by the results of the presidential election are people I care about most. I stand with them, as I always have, throughout my life and career. If you know me, you know that.”

Now though, Twitter/X users have taken Scherzinger’s original comment and used it to express support for a range of viral hats – from Scary Movie to Zendaya’s Pharrell-style hat on a 2014 red carpet.

Hats off to whoever came up with those memes (sorry)…

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