Nicole Scherzinger breaks silence after being slammed for 'coming out as a Trump supporter'

Nicole Scherzinger has broken her silence after being slammed for 'coming out as a Trump supporter' due to her comment on Russell Brand's election post.

 The 46-year-old singer and actress - who has had a history of puzzling political takes - took to her Instagram Story on Friday evening to address the controversy.

She wrote: 'I deeply apologize for the hurt caused by my recent engagement with some social media posts. When I commented on these posts, I made the mistake of not realizing that they could be easily interpreted as being politically related and I apologize to anyone who understandably reached that conclusion.

'Many presumptions are being drawn, which do not reflect who I am, what I stand for, or who I voted for. Many of the marginalized communities feeling hurt and concerned by the results of the presidential election are people I care about most. I stand with them, as I always have, throughout my life and career.

'If you know me, you know that.

'Like so many others, in times of adversity and uncertainty, I turn to my faith. I believed that the posts I engaged with were about encouraging people to choose love and faith - "putting Jesus first." For me Christ embodies peace, compassion, hope, and - above all - unconditional love, especially for those who may feel it the least right now.

'I come from a place of love, and I will always support values that bring us closer together.

'It's so important we come together with compassion, and love one another more now than ever.'

Just days ago, she angered fans after she gave Russell Brand's 'Make Jesus First Again' her stamp of approval. 

The photo was posted on Election Day and captured Russell, 49, proudly brandishing a red 'Make Jesus First Again' hat. 'God Bless America,' he captioned the post.

Scherzinger, 46, showed her fondness for the MAGA-resembling accessory as she chimed in the comments: 'Where do I get this hat!!!?' along with the prayer hands and red heart emojis.

The Pussycat Dolls singer does not appear to have 'liked' the image and she has not publicly endorsed a candidate, but either way her appreciation for the hat sparked anger from fellow Instagram users.

DailyMail.com has contacted a representative for Scherzinger for comment.  

The original photo was shared before Donald Trump, whose slogan has been 'Make America Great Again', won the presidential election over Kamala Harris. 

Instagram followers replied to Nicole with 'No, hun, this ain’t it at all.'

'F***ing hell, Nicole, not this,' another wrote.

'Nice, predator enabling,' another wrote. Last year, Russell was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse dating back to the height of his career, with police investigating claims. Brand has vehemently denied all allegations.

Trump has faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct as well and last May a jury in New York found Trump liable for the sexual abuse of writer E Jean Carroll. 

On X, a follower tweeted of her remark: 'Nicole Scherzinger coming out as a trump supporter makes perfect sense.' 

One quipped that the post may have hurt the Sunset Blvd. star's odds at getting a Tony. 

'Well the Best Actress Tony race just got a little less competitive,' another tweeted. 

Scherzinger was notably raised Catholic - in a 2019 interview with The Guardian she said she goes to church multiple times a week. 

English actor Brand, meanwhile, has previously weighed in on American politics. 

In June, before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and his vice president Kamala Harris stepped in, Brand said he found it difficult to understand why 'freedom-loving' Americans would choose to vote for Biden over Trump. 

In an episode of his podcast, 'Stay Free With Russell Brand', Brand expressed his dissatisfaction with the US presidential election. 

Brand, who has been vocal against censorship, said he feels 'concerned' about the 'snobbery, contempt and condemnation' by liberals of Trump supporters who are 'plainly held by his detractors', adding that they have been responsible for the 'weaponization of the legal system'.

'In a straight choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, if you care about democracy, if you care about freedom, I don't know how you could do anything other than vote for Donald Trump for precisely the reasons that they claim that you can't,' the comedian said. 

He went on to say that 'they act as if a vote for is almost like you’re directly voting for Armageddon, like you see hysterical performances outside of courtrooms, endless MSNBC bombast.'

'But I’m starting to think that no, a greater threat to democracy is this kind of technological feudalism, that tells you that it cares about you and that it’s protecting vulnerable people, all the while increasing censorship, increasing the funding of wars, increasing the division between ordinary Americans,' he added.