Celebrities Take Sides in Jonah Hill Texting Scandal

Bethenny Frankel is one of many famous people who have weighed in on the controversy surrounding Jonah Hill who recently made headlines after his ex-girlfriend shared a series of private messages between the duo that were seemingly coercive and controlling. Frankel branded the Hollywood star a "d***."

Brady, a professional surfer, alleged Hill was "emotionally abusive" while they dated in 2021 and lambasted her for "surfing in a swimsuit rather than a more conservative wetsuit." The actor allegedly sent a list of demands to Brady including asking her to remove photos from her Instagram where he felt her swimwear was too revealing, banning her from interacting with men in the surfing profession, and not having "friendships with women who are in unstable places and from your wild recent past."

"If these things bring you to a place of happiness I support it and there will be no hard feelings. These are my boundaries for romantic partnership. My boundaries with you based on the ways these actions have hurt our trust," Hill reportedly wrote in one message.

Newsweek has reached out to Hill's publicist via email for comment.

Frankel, the Real Housewives of New York star, has shared her experience of meeting Hill at a late-night talk show.

"I did The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jonah Hill was the first guest," Frankel said in a TikTok video posted Monday. "And he was a low-grade d***."

Frankel shared more on the subject on her podcast, Just B Rant, about the ethics of Brady sharing the private texts between her and Hill. She described Hill as a "snob."

The reality star said that while sharing the texts could be "something that can help other people," she also asked "where is that line" of when it's not appropriate to share private correspondence.

"Are you not going to text your partner, thinking that one day that text will be public and I'm sure there are texts that I've sent that where I'd seem like a crazy person," Frankel said. "That's a conversation that I want to discuss because one person will say, 'It's great that these texts are being shared because it could help other people and it's emotional abuse and she should be protected'... but on the other side of the coin, you're sharing texts with [someone] you were in a relationship."

Frankel said: "So I'm just advising people to just understand the whole story."

She then spoke in more detail about her meeting with Hill and how "he acted as if I was beneath him."

"He just seemed put upon by me saying hello to him. And he was a snob like he was up here and I was down there and he made me feel belittled," Frankel explained.

Frankel finished by saying even though she thought Hill "was a low-grade d***," she didn't think texts "should necessarily be shared."

Conservative commentator Candace Owens also shared her thoughts on Twitter.

She wrote: "Women say there are no good men. The truth is there are plenty of good men but many women don't want to rise to the level of being good women. Basic respect for yourself and your partner isn't a tall ask. Again, there is nothing wrong with Jonah Hill's leaked text messages."

Owens spoke about the matter on her podcast and labelled Brady's act as "misandry" and a "toxic form of feminism."

"As more information is coming out, people are realizing that what she (Brady) is, is really a vindictive, bitter ex-girlfriend, who was unhappy with the circumstances... and now she is trying to destroy Jonah Hill, destroy his career and hopefully destroy his relationship," she said.

"As I said, the tides seem to be turning against this and more and more you're seeing women that are speaking up against what is really a toxic form of misandry. Again, men have a right to have boundaries. Men have a right to demand respect."

Owens said: "It is not misogyny to say that we are in a relationship. I expect you to respect me. If that is not misogyny at all. We used to just call that a normal, healthy, functioning relationship.

"These women are essentially figuratively naked and afraid of their own futures and so they lean into this toxic form of modern feminism."

NBA player Devin Booker showed his support for Hill by posting a photo of him to his Instagram stories with an emoji giving a salute.

Comedian Kathy Griffin shared her thoughts on TikTok, saying the texts were "very juicy."

"Okay, the Jonah Hill thing. Besides the fact that the texts are very juicy and vicariously of course, I love reading other people's business, right? It's also kind of my job. But I want to say is this girl put them out... I think it's a good thing that she did that," Griffin began.

"There isn't a space right now for women to express that particular thing. First of all, I've been treated by guys like that and you know guys who want to diminish you and stuff. She's not saying she was sexually assaulted, so she's not gonna go to the cops. I don't even think she's saying verbal because it was like text or whatever."

Griffin added: "But I do think it's a good thing that younger people, younger women are able to express this stuff because in my time there was nobody you can say it to and she's already not being believed by people but at least she gets her peace out there."

Megan McCain wrote in her Daily Mail column that "before you pass judgment, let's review the evidence."

"Brady is acting like a martyr. She claims she released the private texts as a 'warning to all girls' and called on Hill's friends to 'hold him accountable.'" she wrote.

"In the past, Hill has been open about his struggles with mental health, anxiety and panic attacks. That doesn't justify abuse, but we must realize that there are usually two sides to every story. And a few messages released without context can hardly illuminate the situation."

McCain added: "From what I've seen, I don't think Hill sounds anything like the monster his ex portrays him to be."

"I am not going to defend everything Hill allegedly said. Cursing at a partner – whether over text or in-person – can be intimidating and cruel. But does that make him a villain? An emotional abuser deserving of ridicule and punishment?" she wrote.

McCain finished up by writing: "Maybe we'll learn more that'll convince me to change my opinion about Jonah Hill. But I say we give him the benefit of the doubt.

"If we've learned anything in this post MeToo era, it is that everyone deserves to be considered 'innocent until proven guilty' in the court of public opinion."