Tanmay Bhatt has once again become the center of criticism due to his problematic tweets, hitting the point that errors from the past never seem to go by on the internet. The comedian recently celebrated for his incredible weight loss transformation and witty humor is now learning that what goes online comes back to haunt. While one side of the world cheered about his transformation, the other was busy digging up his old tweets, and let’s just say: They have not aged well.
The Tanmay Bhatt tweets issue is a reminder that even as free speech absolutist (as I believe I am),
one must accept that there are practical limits to free speech.
Technically his tweets aren’t hate speech. Neither are they threats. Nor slander.
But they are fucking SICK…
— Amit Behere (@_amitbehere) August 26, 2024
As a celebrity, the past is never dead for you; especially when it is online. Tanmay’s old jokes pertaining to sensitive issues, like kids and religion, have raised a storm on Twitter (or whatever X.com is called today). Sure, freedom of speech exists, but that has not stopped internet denizens from pointing out that freedom comes with responsibility.
The statements of one user encapsulated it perfectly: “The Tanmay Bhatt tweets issue is an unfortunate reminder.” Even an ardent free speech supporter (as I proudly count myself) has to consider free speech’s exceptions. His tweets are certainly not hate speech or libel, but they are shockingly offensive.” Ouch. Pretty brutal from someone who typically sides with free speech.
Another user threw serious shade, pointing at Tanmay’s and AIB’s exit ramp from controversy: “Why are we all acting surprised by Tanmay Bhatt’s tweets? AIB has had countless people with otherwise problematic history, and those tweets are also not recent—what do you expect? Remember AIB went down for a reason?” That was painful.
It feels like the story of a dark comedy—Tanmay, after undergoing a physical transformation, comes back into the limelight, only for his past tweets to drag him back into controversy. Karma? Possibly. Hard lesson on thinking before posting? Absolutely.
While the fire rages online, Tanmay himself seemed mute on the issue. Fans are now guessing if he will address it in an apology video (that could drop any day). One thing, however, we can all agree on is that the internet never forgets. So, maybe think twice before tweeting that joke; it could come back to bite you while you are living your best life.
