Following the racist backlash to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power featuring a diverse cast of actors, the original Hobbit quartet from the Peter Jackson films are throwing their full support behind the Amazon series. In a photo tweeted by Elijah Wood, who played the iconic role of Frodo Baggins in the original trilogy, he’s flanked by Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan (Merry and Pippin, respectively) as they sport T-shirts that read “You All Are Welcome Here” in elvish. Under the writing is a series of elf ears in various skin colors to support The Rings of Power‘s commitment to diversity.
You Are All Welcome Here @LOTRonPrime @DonMarshall72 #RingsOfPower https://t.co/8txOhlHa2f pic.twitter.com/nWytILT0zG
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) September 7, 2022
Sean Astin also joined his fellow Hobbits by tweeting a photo of himself wearing a hat with the same message and elf ears.
You are all welcome here.#RingsOfPower @LOTRonPrime #MiddleEarth #Samwise @ElijahWood @BillyBoydActor @DomsWildThings @DonMarshall72 https://t.co/w2tdZ4nFwN pic.twitter.com/f4RsBKE9an
— Sean Astin (@SeanAstin) September 7, 2022
The shirts, hats, and also hoodies bearing the “You All Are Welcome Here” message can be purchased from Lord of the Rings enthusiast Don Marshall who will donate a portion of the proceeds to a charity that supports people of color.
Of course, this latest move is sure to rankle the ever-watchful Eye of Elon. The Tesla CEO complained that “Tolkien is spinning in his grave,” which resulted in being dragged by several users on Twitter and beloved fantasy author Neil Gaiman, who told Musk to stay in his lane. Whoopi Goldberg also joined the fight against the anti-woke hordes on the season premiere of The View. Goldberg blasted anyone complaining about Black elves or Hobbits and flat-out told them to “get a job.”
(Via Elijah Wood on Twitter)
