Elton John Responds to Russian Pranksters: 'Homophobia Is Never Funny'
Find out why the singer was happy to be pranked.
— -- Elton John has responded to the news that the call he believed he'd received from Russian president Vladimir Putin was actually a hoax perpetrated by two Russian TV hosts.
John shared a photo on Instagram of a male couple, one of whom has a bloodied face.
"Pranks are funny. Homophobia, however is never funny," he captioned it. "I love Russia and my offer to talk to President Putin about LGBT rights still stands. I will always stand up for those that are being degraded and discriminated against."
John added, "If this unfortunate incident has helped push this vital issue back into the spotlight, then I am happy to be pranked on this occasion." He then added the hashtags @president_vladimir_putin, #lgbt, #lgbtrights and #ShareTheLove."
The singer initially told the BBC several days ago that he wanted to talk to Putin about what he feels is the Russian leader's "ridiculous," "isolating and prejudiced" stance on gay rights. Then, believing that Putin called him after reading those comments, John took to Instagram to thank the president for his time. However, the Kremlin denied that Putin had reached out to John, and the next day Russian comedians Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov took credit for the prank.