Star Trek actor attacked by Trump supporters over mistaken identity

  • 23/11/2017
Star Trek actor LeVar Burton attacked by Trump supporters who think he is LaVar Ball.
LeVar Burton; Donald Trump; LaVar Ball Photo credit: Getty

Actor LeVar Burton is being sent angry messages by people who think he's LaVar Ball, a man currently embroiled in a vicious war of words with US President Donald Trump.

Burton is a star of Star Trek: The Next Generation and US children's TV show Reading Rainbow.

He is not the father of a basketball player recently allowed to leave China after being charged with shoplifting, reportedly after Trump intervened.

That man, LaVar Ball, triggered outrage by not thanking the former Celebrity Apprentice star for his actions, saying "I have to know what somebody is doing before I say 'thank you'."

Trump has responded with several tweets, calling Ball an "ungrateful fool", "poor man's Don King" and saying he should've left his son in jail.

Others on Twitter have joined in the abuse - but are directing it at the wrong person.

"You're a has been actor with a thief for a son and Trump is the president of the United States. Get the picture?" is just one of the messages sent to Burton.

The actor eventually tweeted Ball with a sarcastic thank you for all the insults he'd been sent.

Burton's Star Trek co-star Brent Spiner then joined in, joking that if he really cared about Trump, he'd change his name to something less similar to Ball's.

Newshub.