Amy Schumer posted an essay Thursday, once again responding to critics of her spoof of Beyonce’s “Formation” music video. The Tidal-exclusive video featured Schumer dancing to the song on an island with Goldie Hawn, Joan Cusack and Wanda Sykes while they were on location filming a movie together.
Schumer’s post on Medium was titled “Information About My ‘Formation’ ” and praised Beyonce’s Lemonade album for being an uplifting anthem for women, particularly while she’s been supporting Hillary Clinton during the election. She called Lemonade “one of the greatest pieces of art of our time” and said it brought the cast and crew together on the set of her untitled mother-daughter action film when they were filming in Hawaii.
“While we were shooting our movie in Hawaii this summer, we were all crazy for the album and also for Hillary Clinton. We would rush back to our televisions or phones to watch a stream of CNN to see the convention and watch Hillary and Michelle and so many extraordinary women speak,” writes Schumer. “All of the women on set were bonded together from this music and from the election simultaneously. It was such a powerful time.”
Schumer explained the video was “NEVER a parody” but intended to be an uplifting video for women. She also clarified that the video had Beyonce and Jay Z’s approval, as it was released exclusively on Tidal (which is partially owned by Beyonce and Jay Z) for the first 24 hours.
Some criticized the video for being insensitive to the political messages in Beyonce’s original music video, in which she is shown on top of a sinking police car in New Orleans.
“I did not mean to detract any of the meaning from the video,” writes Schumer. “I am of course horrified and sickened by the events that are addressed throughout that video and didn’t see this as minimizing that and still don’t. It was a way to celebrate bringing us all together. To fight for what we all want. And to do it together.”
“It was NEVER a parody. It was just us women celebrating each other. The video Beyonce made was so moving and I wouldn’t ever make fun of that. There is absolutely no way to. I make fun of myself a few times in the video as I do in everything I am a part of. I loved every second of working with those women to make this thing that lifted us up.”
Schumer’s YouTube clip received three times as many negative votes as positive recommendations. The comedian ended the essay writing, “Use whatever hashtag you like. My mission is to continue to work as hard as I can to empower women and make them laugh and feel better and I won’t let anything stop me.”
Read Schumer’s full essay on Medium here.
