Elton John on Putin hoax call: 'Homophobia is never funny'

MOSCOW, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Music icon Elton John admitted Thursday, that he was a victim of a hoax after expressing that he wanted to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about LGBT rights in his country.

The British pop star originally told the BBC over the weekend that he wanted to speak with Putin to discuss the leader's "ridiculous" attitude towards the LGBT community. Afterwards, John took to Instagram thanking Putin after receiving what he thought was a phone call from the Russian President.
"Thank-you to President Vladimir Putin for reaching out and speaking via telephone with me today. I look forward to meeting with you face-to-face to discuss LGBT equality in Russia," John first posted on Instagram with a photo of the Russian leader.
Putin's representative though, dismissed that claim on Tuesday.
"I don't doubt that if there is such a request, the president will be ready to meet with Elton John among others to give answers to all the questions that he might ask," the representative said. "But we haven't received such signals yet."
John later found out that he had been pranked by two Russian comedians, Vladimir Krasnov, known as Vovan and his sidekick. The duo took credit for the incident and for impersonating Putin over the phone while speaking to the 68-year-old singer.
On Thursday, John took to Instagram once again to acknowledge that he had been pranked along with the hope that the hoax would bring more attention to his fight for LGBT rights in Russia.
"Pranks are funny. Homophobia, however is never funny," John said with a photo of a young man with a bloody nose. "I love Russia and my offer to talk to President Putin about LGBT rights still stands. I will always stand up for those that are being degraded and discriminated against. If this unfortunate incident has helped push this vital issue back into the spotlight, then I am happy to be pranked on this occasion."