TV reality show Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines are taking heat for saying in an Instagram post that they are “proud” of Brittney Grinner, the WNBA player who was jailed and convicted on drug offenses in Russia.
In his Feb. 18 Instagram post, Chip Gaines posted a photo of himself, his wife and the basketball player, and wrote: “Welcome home @brittneyyevettegriner. SO proud of you girl!”
Fans were shocked that Gaines would be saying how “proud” he is of the anti-American basketball player.
Grinner was arrested in a Moscow airport early in 2022 for illegal possession of a vape cartridge that contained cannabis. Marijuana is fully illegal in Russia and Grinner was soon convicted of importing illegal drugs into the country and was sentenced to a nine-year prison sentence.
Her case became a major embarrassment to the Joe Biden administration, but by Dec. she was finally let go free by Russia in exchange for a dangerous arms dealer in U.S. custody named Viktor Bout, who’s nickname is the merchant of death.
It’s bad enough, of course, that the U.S. was reduced to giving away a seriously dangerous criminal in exchange for a mere basketball player. But Grinner also had a history of anti-American comments and, like most supposed “professional” athletes, she had previously insisted that she stood against the U.S.A. during the playing of the national anthem.
In July of 2020, the star player jumped feet first to join the anti-anthem crowd and said that the league shouldn’t even play the anthem, much less stand in honor during it.
At the time, Griner told the sports media, “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand.”
She added that she would protest against the country “regardless.”
“I’m going to protest regardless. I’m not going to be out there for the national anthem,” she said. “If the league continues to want to play it, that’s fine. It will be all season long, I’ll not be out there. I feel like more are going to probably do the same thing. I can only speak for myself.”
This is the person who Gaines was celebrating, and fans were not pleased.
Just to relay a few of the comments:
- When you’ve lost sight of your brand.
- Chip and Joanne have turned so woke it’s pathetic.
- Well….. I use to be a chip and Joanna fan…..
- Proud of her for WHAT? Taking drugs into another country? Bashing America??
- This woman represents everything wrong with American and you are proud of her?
- This makes me sick I never thought the chip and jo would stoop that low
Another was even more to the point, writing, “Takes anti American stances, publicly. Curses the USA. Smuggles drugs into a foreign sovereign country. Spends 10 months in jail. Not to mention her lifestyle goes against the Gaines supposed Christian beliefs. After being jailed in Russia, her family then expects the same country that she cursed to bail her out. The USA comes through for her by trading “The Merchant of Death” for BG. Thus making the world a much deadlier place. Am I missing something? Proud? Why?”
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