Spike Lee only has one word to describe the George Zimmerman tweets that have landed him in more legal trouble — “stupid.”
“I did a stupid thing when I retweeted supposedly the address,” Lee told Oprah Winfrey during an interview that aired on “Oprah’s Next Chapter” on Sunday. “It was stupid.”
Also read: Spike Lee Apologizes for Tweeting Wrong Address for Trayvon Martin Shooter
One month after the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, the “Do the Right Thing” director took to Twitter and retweeted what he thought was the home address of Zimmerman, the man who was later tried and acquitted of Trayvon’s murder. The address, however, actually belonged to Elaine McClain and David McClain, an elderly couple completely unrelated to the case.
Although Lee had reached a settlement with the couple outside of court on March 29, 2012, they have recently filed a lawsuit alleging that more retweets of Lee’s message have caused them to suffer “substantial injury” since.
Also read: Spike Lee Sued Over George Zimmerman Tweet
“There’s nothing I can say that can defend that. It was stupid,” Lee said, before emphasizing, “S-T-O-O-P-I-D.”
In their lawsuit against the filmmaker, the McClains are seeking damages “in excess of … $15,000,” plus attorneys’ fees and court costs.
See video: Jon Stewart Chides Spike Lee: ‘Sending a Lynch Mob to Anybody’s Address Is a Bad Mistake’
Lee said he was “angry” over the death of Martin, but pointed out that’s “not a justification for stupidity.”
The McClains were not the only people upset about his actions. Lee said his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, had a three letter question for him — “W.T.F.?”
“It was not a good time at the Lee household at that moment,” Lee added. “She was bringing it.”