Kristen Stewart Is Sorry for Cheating, but Are Fans Ready to Forgive?

Snow White and the Huntsman star has issued a public apology, and crisis PR experts are giving it high marks

By Leslie Gornstein Jul 26, 2012 3:17 AMTags
E! Placeholder Image

Will Kristin Stewart's apology to Rob be taken seriously? Or will fans and Hollywood abandon her?
—Sharon M., via the inbox

Well, one thing's for certain: The girl just might hold the record for the fastest affair-turned-mea-culpa in Hollywood history. Yesterday we found out she cheated on co-star Robert Pattinson. And today she's already "deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me...This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry."

Will the apology do its job? I have the answer for you.

Put it this way: There are many, many mistakes K.Stew could have made this week: Ignoring the story for too long, à la Tiger Woods. Denying the cheating and hoping fans would buy it. Or throwing the whole thing back in our faces with a "none-of-your-business" attitude.

Instead, crisis PR expert Cherie Kerr tells me, the 22-year-old actress handled the scandal in pretty much the classiest way possible.

"This is the least that all evils that she could have chosen," says Kerr, who has been practicing crisis PR for celebrities for 20 years. "I would imagine that whoever was advising her said, 'Look, you might melt down, the wife might go crazy, so you might as just get it out there now and apologize for it.'"

Read all about post-cheating life for Rob and Kristen

As for the apology itself, it, too, gets high marks from Kerr. The statement also earned a thumbs up from Roger Ebert, of all people, who tweeted: "This makes me respect Kristen Stewart even more."

"It's not just a plain, generic, cold statement," Kerr points out. "It was a very emotional way to express her regret, and that might help her.

"It sounded more heartfelt and spontaneous than issuing a calculated statement."

Did Liberty Ross diss Kristen Stewart on Instagram?

So does all that mean that the scandal will blow over and fans will start blowing kisses again? Not quite yet. There are probably more beats to this story, and there are hundreds of reporters out there right now trying to find out what those beats are.

But in the end, Kerr thinks K.Stew will turn out just fine. After all, let's remember that the girl is only 22.

"You're talking about somebody who everyone worships and adores," Kerr points out. "Liz Taylor did what she did, and she just got bigger and grander and everybody loved her more."

If you're still not convinced, remember: This is an actress who means big, big profits for Hollywood. Over the past year, she herself made $34.5 million because she puts butts in theater seats. And producers, at least, are usually willing to forgive anyone if there's more money to be made.