Actor Ben Stiller suggested a statue of Theodore Roosevelt be replaced with a statue of Hollywood actor Robin Williams.
Stiller made the suggestion Sunday on Twitter in response to a New York Times article regarding the statue.
How about replacing it with a statue of Robin Williams. He deserves one.
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) June 21, 2020
“How about replacing it with a statue of Robin Williams,” Stiller tweeted. “He deserves one.”
The statue of Theodore Roosevelt has sat outside of the American Museum of Natural History since 1940, according to an article published Sunday by the New York Times.
“Over the last few weeks, our museum community has been profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice that has emerged after the killing of George Floyd,” museum president Ellen V. Futter said in an interview with the Times. “We have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism.” (RELATED: Ben Stiller Opens Up About The Days Before Jerry Stiller’s Death)
The statue has been the center of criticism following the death of George Floyd and reignited discussions over statues with discriminatory undertones, the Times reported.
“Simply put, the time has come to move it,” Fuller said.
The decision to remove the statue was based on its “hierarchical composition,” according to Fuller. The museum still recognizes Roosevelt as “a pioneering conservationist.”