We can likely all agree that Spike Lee’s heart was in the right place at the 2016 BET Awards.
As was the case with so many other stars who walked the red carpet and sat in the audience for this event, the movie directed wanted to honor Prince.
But he did not take to the stage and belt out a memorable rendition of a classic Prince song, as artists such as Jennifer Hudson and Shiela E. so impressively did.
(You can check out Hudson’s performance below.)
Nor did Lee deliver a stirring speech about the iconic singer, who died at the age of 57 on April 21.
Instead, Lee raised many eyebrows and drew the rebuke of Twitter by attempting to dress just like the legendary musician.
There was the purple suit… the Prince symbol pin over his chest… and the giant hat.
Oh, man. That giant hat. It has become the target of a lot of ire over social media.
“I know Spike Lee is dressed to honor Prince, but that hat makes him look like Johnny Depp in every movie he’s ever been in,” wrote Dave Schilling.
@TheMovement, meanwhile, wrote that “Spike Lee came to the #BETAwards as Willy Wonka,” while @ReignOfApril made a reference to “The Mad Hatter.”
The point of nearly any tribute, of course, is to draw attention to the person who passed away, not to yourself.
In this regard, Lee unquestionably failed.
But it wasn’t the first time he went to a fashionable extreme in order to remember Prince.
Take note below of how Lee looked during a birthday celebration for Prince that he helped organize in Brooklyn back on June 4:
In the end, Lee can’t sing like Hudson. So what is he supposed to do as a mere attendee at the BET Awards?
He deserves credit for at least trying to honor Prince, even if his outfit did leave us wondering whether or not the Oompa Loompas would be making an appearance at the ceremony.
