Actor George Clooney published an op-ed for USA Today slamming the Daily Mail for fabricating a story about his fiancée Amal Alamuddin's mother not approving of their upcoming wedding because of religious reasons.
On Tuesday, July 8 the British newspaper published a story claiming that Baria Alamuddin did not approve of the wedding because she wanted her daughter to marry a man who was in the same sect of their strict Lebanese religion.
On Wednesday, the "Gravity" actor fought back against the claims saying that the entire Daily Mail article was "completely fabricated" and Baria was onboard with the nuptials.
"If they fabricate stories of Amal being pregnant, or that the marriage will take place on the set of 'Downton Abbey,' or that I'm running for office, or any number of idiotic stories that they sit at their computers and invent, I don't care. But this lie involves larger issues," Clooney wrote.
"The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous," the 53-year-old actor continued. "We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal."
The Daily Mail quickly deleted the story and issued a statement apologizing to Clooney, his fiancée and her family. The paper also said the story they ran was "not a fabrication but supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted freelance journalist."
"However, we accept Mr. Clooney's assurance that the story is inaccurate and we apologize to him, Miss Amal Alamuddin and her mother, Baria, for any distress caused," the Daily Mail's statement continued.
According to the New York Daily News, the article claimed that Alamuddin's mother had been complaining to "half of Beirut, in fact anyone that will listen" that she wished for her daughter to settle down with a man in the Druze sect.
"You would think Amal has hit the jackpot with George Clooney, but Baria is not happy," a source reportedly told the Daily Mail. "She thinks Amal can do better."
Alamuddin and Clooney have been engaged since April.
