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The audience at The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon was left stunned last night after former wrestler and actor Dave Bautista launched an unexpected verbal attack against Meghan Markle during a lighthearted segment on the show.
Bautista had been invited up on stage along with a few other members of the studio audience to participate in a trivia game with host Jimmy Fallon. However, things took a shocking turn when the questions turned to Meghan and Prince Harry's relationship. According to Fallon, he had merely asked Bautista a simple question about the couple but was taken aback by the ferocity of Bautista's response.
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"The audience erupted in shock and silence," explained Fallon. "Dave suddenly rose from his seat and pointed an accusatory finger at Meghan, bellowing 'shut your mouth.' It was completely out of left field and stunned everyone."
Meghan, who was appearing remotely via video call, looked understandably taken aback by Bautista's outburst. However, she remained composed, calmly responding "I'm sorry you feel that way Dave, but I won't be silenced. My voice matters and I'll continue to use it to speak out against injustice and inequality."
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This only served to further enrage Bautista. "Who do you think you are, huh?" he shot back. "Some kind of princess? You're nothing but an attention-seeking D-list actress who married into a family of bloody phonies. So shut your trap and let the real men do the talking."
The confrontation quickly went viral on social media, with viewers polarized on Bautista's harsh treatment of Meghan. Some defended the actor, arguing that as a royal, Meghan needed to be put in her place and stop overstepping boundaries. However, many more condemned his aggressive behavior and misogynistic language, seeing it as an attempt to silence Meghan simply for being a woman with opinions.
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In follow-up statements, both parties addressed the incident. Bautista doubled down on his criticism, describing Meghan as a "manipulative attention hungry diva" who has no right to lecture the public. Meghan meanwhile took a more reconciliatory tone, saying "I understand Dave Bautista is entitled to his opinion, even if I don't agree, and hope we can engage in respectful dialogue."
The clash has sparked a wider discussion around the treatment of women, especially those who speak out on social and political issues. According to Professor Samantha Renner of UCLA, Bautista's verbal attack was a "textbook example" of the kind of toxic masculinity and bullying tactics frequently used to silence women in the public eye.
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"By telling Meghan to shut her mouth, he was essentially dismissing her voice and credibility solely because of her gender," explained Renner. She also argued that his language describing Meghan as "attention-seeking" and a "D-list actress" revealed the double standards women face, as such derogatory terms would likely not be used against male public figures in the same way.
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Despite facing backlash, Bautista has shown no signs of backing down from his stance. In a follow-up interview he accused Meghan of "playing the victim card" and insisted he has a right to give his unfiltered opinion. However, his tirade has only served to highlight the problematic attitudes Meghan and other women regularly have to contend with for daring to have a public platform and voice their views.
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It remains to be seen whether this incident will give Bautista pause to reconsider his approach in the future, or if he will continue disregarding the impact harsh and misogynistic criticism can have, especially when levied against women already facing disproportionate scrutiny. For now, the debate around how public figures like Meghan should be treated, as well as societal expectations of appropriate gender roles, looks set to continue.
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