UPDATE: That Homeless Guy Who Accepted Miley Cyrus’ VMA Is Wanted By Oregon Police

As you may have heard, during Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus had a young homeless man named “Jesse” accept her Video of the Year award for “Wrecking Ball” on behalf of the “1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States who are starving lost and scared.” He then revealed that he knows this “because [he is] one of these people.”

Well, yes and no.

While it’s allegedly true that the young man, now identified as Jesse Helt, was technically homeless — living in homeless shelters throughout the city and at one low point sleeping in a bush — it was also a conscious decision on his part and he was free to run back into the arms of his loving family at any time. Hmm. Helt decided to remain homeless in Los Angeles, however, due to his aspirations of one day making it big as a male model. Hmmmmm.

The Daily Mail spoke to Helt’s mother, Linda Helt, about her son’s situation:

And his proud mother Linda Helt, 62, told MailOnline: ‘Jesse’s had ups and downs like anybody else… he didn’t wanna give up and run on home to mommy, but only he knows the reasons, that’s for him to say.’ Speaking from her home in Salem, Mrs Helt, mother to Jesse’s three brothers and sister, added Jesse chose to ‘go it alone’ and chase his dreams. She said: ‘He wanted to be in Los Angeles and he had opportunities and he took them, but you know, he’s had his ups and downs like anybody else. ‘It was his choice, he was always welcome, he could always come back any time. If he needed help, I’d help him, we help one another,’ she added.

I really think Miley Cyrus — who directed fans to donate to the homeless youth charity My Friend’s Place — has her heart in the right place. I really, really do. But JESUS. If this is true, that this kid could have gone home whenever he wanted, then what better representation of this “me” generation of self-obsessed, entitled twats who think they should get whatever they want in life, just because. What I’m hearing right now is: Oh, poor me, I’m homeless because no one has handed me the modeling career that I so obviously richly deserve.

I don’t know. Maybe there’s more than meets the eye here, but at face value it sounds pretty patronizing to the thousands of homeless youth who are homeless due to abuse, poverty or any other number of unavoidable factors.

Oh, and I assume this kid will be given his lucrative modeling career now. So, hooray for that.

(The Daily Mail via The Fishwrapper)