A claim circulating online attributes the authorship of a monologue titled “The Badge” to actor Kurt Russell. This monologue expresses strong support for law enforcement and criticizes proposals to defund police departments.
However, available evidence indicates that Kurt Russell did not write “The Badge.” While some social media posts feature Russell’s name at the beginning of the text, earlier versions of the monologue, particularly those found online from June 2020, attribute it to “Unknown” or “Copied from Dave Riviere.”
The monologue’s content, which details acts of heroism and sacrifice by police officers, gained significant traction online in the days following the death of George Floyd in May 2020, a period marked by widespread protests and discussions about policing.
Investigations into the origin of “The Badge” have uncovered Facebook posts from May and June 2020 that predate the widespread attribution to Kurt Russell. One post from early June 2020 attributes the text to “Copied from Dave Riviere.” Efforts are underway to confirm with Dave Riviere whether he is indeed the author.
The claim that Kurt Russell wrote “The Badge” is therefore considered incorrect.
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