West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tells haters like Bette Midler to kiss his bulldog's 'hiney'

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) — and his bulldog, Babydog — have a message for all the Wild and Wonderful haters out there: pucker up and kiss Babydog's backside.
"They never believed in West Virginia — that we could do it," Justice proclaimed Thursday during his 2022 State of the State address. "They told every bad joke in the world about us, and so from that standpoint, Babydog tells Bette Midler and all those out there, kiss her hiney," he continued, lifting up Babydog for, uh ... added effect.
In December, actress Bette Midler called West Virginia "poor, illiterate, and strung out" in a poorly-received tweet born of rage against Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). She later apologized.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Justice has previously included Babydog in his multitude of vaccination PSAs, so it only makes sense he again featured the star bulldog in this ... unique defense of his state.
Anyway, sorry, Bette — you heard the man.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Shohei Ohtani is caught in a financial controversy — again
In the Spotlight The controversy concerns Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo
-
A descent into academic Hell, a ferocious feminist fable and the adult debut of a beloved children's author
The Week Recommends August books include R.F. Kuang's 'Katabasis,' Xenobe Purvis' 'The Hounding' and Louis Sachar's 'The Magician of Tiger Castle'
-
What is an upside-down car loan and how do you get out of it?
the explainer This happens when the outstanding balance on a car loan exceeds the vehicle's worth
-
Border agents crash Newsom redistricting kickoff
Speed Read Armed federal Border Patrol agents amassed outside the venue where the California governor and other Democratic leaders were gathered
-
Man charged for hoagie attack as DC fights takeover
Speed Read The Trump administration filed felony charges against a man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent
-
Trump BLS nominee floats ending key jobs report
Speed Read On Fox News, E.J. Antoni suggested scrapping the closely watched monthly jobs report
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLS
speed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics
-
Trump takes over DC police, deploys National Guard
Speed Read The president blames the takeover on rising crime, though official figures contradict this concern
-
Trump sends FBI to patrol DC, despite falling crime
Speed Read Washington, D.C., 'has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world,' Trump said
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monuments
Speed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seat
speed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors