AnnaLynne McCord Responds to Criticism of Her Viral Putin Poem

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the 90210 actress took to Twitter to recite a strange spoken word poem addressing the country's authoritarian leader, who she believes experienced “soul-stealing pain” from a lack of maternal love as a child.

“If I was a mother, you would have been so loved, held in the arms of joyous light," she began. “Never would this story’s plight, the world unfurled before our eyes, a pure demise of nation sitting peaceful under the night sky."

McCord then went on to continue with this theme with lines about how "the world would have been warm" if she was his mother and how she would have "died to make you warm," before lamenting about not being able to start him towards the "awareness of what a powerful being of light you could be," because she was "born too late, in a different place."

Needless to say, the internet couldn't help but cringe at her poem, with many expressing "embarrassment" on behalf of the star.

The AnnaLynne McCord video is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen

— Daniel M. Ford (@soundingline) February 24, 2022

Meanwhile, others critiqued the "tone deaf" pointlessness of the gesture and compared it to Gal Gadot's infamous "Imagine" video from the early days of the pandemic.

"Gal Gadot has competition," as one person joke, while another commenter said, "Just sing 'imagine' next time. It's easier than whatever this is."

SAME tone deaf energy as this bs from the start of the pandemic 😭 pic.twitter.com/VW6oV3J6uC

— 𝔰♥ (@s4h_ox) February 24, 2022

Just sing "imagine" next time. It's easier than whatever this is.

— El suspendo Bloomberg ¡viva Los Villanos! (@elsuspendo) February 24, 2022

Gal Gadot has competition

— Dolan Dark (@DolanDark) February 24, 2022

In response to the internet's reaction, McCord told BuzzFeed News she "could easily have moved in the direction of becoming a dictator myself," before attributing evil and darkness to experiences with "early life trauma."

“If certain circumstances of my life were different, were I a little less bent toward healing and more toward vindication, I could have been a darkly powerful person,” she continued, adding that the piece was inspired by her "anguish" over the children stuck in the middle of the crisis.

Watch McCord recite her poem below.

Dear Mister President Vladimir Putin… pic.twitter.com/LbDFBHVWJf

— AnnaLynne McCord (@IAMannalynnemcc) February 24, 2022

Photo via Getty / Henry S. Dziekan III