Erykah Badu Says Controversial Hitler Comments Were 'Misconstrued'

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Following backlash for comments she made in a recent interview where she said she "saw something good in Hitler," Erykah Badu has taken to Twitter to clarify her statement.

READ: Erykah Badu Receives Backlash Over Hitler And Bill Cosby Comments

"People are in real pain. So I understand why my 'good' intent was misconstrued as 'bad'. In trying to express a point, I used 1 of the worst examples possible, Not to support the cruel actions of an unwell, psychopathic Adolf Hitler, but to only exaggerate a show of compassion," Badu wrote Tuesday morning.

"Either U read the entire VULTURE interview & U understood the message of compassion CLEARLY. OR U only read the selective, out of context Headlines, & were drawn in2 the whirlpool of collective emotional grief," she continued. "I don't want 2 force U 2understand the way I love. I'm hopeful tho."

The remark was made during an interview with Vulture in which Badu, referring to herself as a "humanist," says she can see the good in everyone, even Hitler.

"Hitler was a wonderful painter," the 46-year-old musician said.

Taken aback, author David Marchese responds: "No, he wasn't! And even if he was, what would his skill as a painter have to do with any 'good' in him?"

The comment angered many on social media, including Johnathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, who called Badu's comments "irresponsible" and "misguided."

"I also like to think that there is good in all people, but Hitler is pure evil," Greenblatt tweeted. "I don’t care if he painted or was a vegetarian; Hitler is responsible for the deaths of 6 million Jews & a war that claimed the lives of tens of millions. Shame on you for downplaying that."