Too far? Julie Bowen faced criticism after she joked about President Donald Trump‘s youngest son, Barron, on social media during the January 20 inauguration.
In a series of Instagram posts, the Modern Family actress, 46, commented on the POTUS and First Lady Melania Trump‘s 10-year-old son’s demeanor. “I think Barron is on his Gameboy. Can’t say I blame him,” she captioned one photo of Barron looking down at the floor during his father’s swearing-in ceremony.
Bowen, who captioned several of her posts with the hashtag #barronforpresident, then joked about Barron’s upset expression as he held his head in both hands. “Barron, a voting majority shares your horror,” she wrote. Next, Bowen shared a picture of Barron rubbing his right eye, writing, “When your dad is boppin’ his head to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. #dadshame.”
Finally, the Lost alum jokingly criticized CNN for cutting Barron out of the frame of its broadcast. “Hey @CNN! Don’t box the Barron!” she wrote.
Though Bowen’s Instagram posts each got thousands of likes, several users accused her of bullying and sharing negative comments about a member of the first family. “Boo! I used to like you and follow your Instagram! Unfollowing and not watching @abcmodernfam anymore,” one person wrote. Another added, “Just because you don’t like his dad, don’t poke fun at the kid. I used to like you Julie. Grow up!”
The actress was further attacked on Twitter, where one woman asked, “Why would you choose to focus on a child? What if the son was one of your own?” Bowen caught wind of the criticism and tweeted back, “I love that Barron is just being a kid. My kids would be a horror show at a public event! Just trying to keep it light.”
Bowen has not removed the posts from her Instagram account.
