George Clooney Fires Back at Hotel Mogul Steve Wynn's Version of Their Vegas Dinner Argument: You Can't Make Up Stories!

There remains a difference in perspective as to what was said about President Obama and beyond during a dinner in Vegas; plus, Clooney denies having tequila shots as Wynn claimed

By Natalie Finn May 03, 2014 1:53 AMTags
George Clooney Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

George Clooney isn't about to sit back and let hotelier Steve Wynn put tequila-fueled words in his mouth.

"I will refrain from trying to categorize him based on the little time we've spent together, but I will not let his version of the truth go unchallenged," said Clooney, who noted that he has met the Las Vegas-based mogul only a few times, in a statement issued Friday.

It was reported that the two got into it over dinner at Botero (in the Encore at Wynn Hotel) a couple weeks ago after Wynn repeatedly called President Barack Obama, whom Clooney is a longtime friend and supporter of, "an a--hole." Clooney admitted afterward to calling Wynn an a--hole right back, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "There were nine people at that table, so you can ask them, Steve likes to go on rants."

Jason Merritt/Getty Images; Zumapress.com

Well, Wynn then told Bloomberg's Market Makers in an interview posted today that he didn't call the president an a--hole, Clooney never called him and a--hole, and the whole thing was blown out of proportion.

Clooney "was a little into the tequila but he is fun to be with. He's a good storyteller," Wynn said.

And so the recently engaged Oscar winner apparently decided enough was enough.

Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images

"He now says he didn't call the president an 'a--hole.' That is false," Clooney said in his new statement, obtained by People. "He bellowed, 'I voted for the a--hole,' and then called him the same thing several more times as the dinner came to an abrupt end.

"Again there were eight people at the table [besides Wynn], eight witnesses. I did in turn, call him the same body part, and walked out. Again he can make up whatever story he wants, but these are the facts. He said I drank 16 shots of tequila. I didn't drink one shot of tequila, not one. We were drinking but it was early and we still had two events to attend."

He concluded: "Steve is one of the richest men in the world and he should be congratulated for it, but he needs to take off his red sparkly dinner jacket and roll up his sleeves every once in a while and understand what most of the country is actually dealing with... or at least start with the fact that you can't make up stories when eight people who are not on your payroll are sitting around you as witnesses."

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