William Shatner Sets Tweeters to Stunned With ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ Defense

“Star Trek” icon decries the “censorship of classics because certain ‘types’ need to judge things through their own 2018 myopic glasses”

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Nevermind what it’s like outside — certain corners of Twitter turned a little bit chilly on Tuesday, after “Star Trek” icon William Shatner defended the recently criticized holiday classic “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”

Shatner kicked off a heated discussion via Twitter when he reacted to a report that the CBC planned to stop playing the song, a decision that the broadcaster later reversed.

“Call in to CBC radio all day and get them to play ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ over and over until midnight!” Shatner tweeted.

Shatner did find supporters in response to his tweet, including one who wrote, “Way to go Bill.This PC stuff is nuts.” And another who responded, “Let’s get em Bill!”

Still, a number of Twitter users reacted disapprovingly to the actor’s defense of the song, in which a man tries to convince a woman to stay at his place against her better judgment and includes lines such as the man’s “What’s the sense in hurting my pride?” and the woman’s “Say, what’s in this drink?”

“C’mon, Bill. Isn’t there something, anything, you can find that is more important to rally for?” asked one responder.

To which the actor replied, “I would think that censorship of classics because certain ‘types’ need to judge things through their own 2018 myopic glasses and demand they be stricken from history is important. Or is this 1984 only 34 years too late?”

Shatner also clarified that his defense of the song wasn’t being offered in jest.

“Congrats Bill, never let sex assault victims get in the way of your fun,” another critic weighed in.

But Shatner would not be swayed, no matter how cold — or hot — the back-and-forth grew.

“Have you watched the original choreography, myopic Peter or are you one of those who needs to take the lyrics & extrapolate worst case?” Shatner shot back, along with a video link to the song as featured in the 1949 film “Neptune’s Daughter. ” You must clutch your pearls over rap music.”

“Lemme get this straight, folks have an issue with lyrics, and your defense is the choreography?” came the reply to Shatner’s link.

“The choreography is the interpretation of the lyrics from the timeframe when it was written(1940’s.),” Shatner tweeted back. “If 2018 prudes want to interpret the lyrics as something else; the problem obviously lies in their own minds not in the original lyrics.”

Watch the choreography of Tuesday’s back-and-forth play out below.

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