Justin Bieber apologizes for supporting country artist who used n-word
"I had no idea that the guy's music I posted was recently found saying racist comments," Bieber posted.
Pop sensation Justin Bieber is apologizing for supporting country singer Morgan Wallen, who has been previously caught on video using the n-word.
The former teen heartthrob shared a photo of Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album on his Instagram Story on Wednesday. Bieber had posted a screenshot of the song, “Sand in My Boots,” and praised Wallen, saying that he loved the album.
He later deleted the post and apologized.
“I had no idea that the guy’s music I posted was recently found saying racist comments,” he wrote. “As you know I don’t support or tolerate any sort of racism or discrimination. I had no idea, I sincerely apologize to anyone I offended,”
After sharing the song and his apology, fans circulated a 2014 video of him parodying his own song, “One Less Lonely Girl,” which he had revised with lyrics that also included the n-word. He also joked about joining the Ku Klux Klan in the parody.
Beiber apologized again this week, saying, “When I was a kid, I was incredibly ignorant and said some very hurtful racist jokes that clearly were not funny.”
He wrote the following in his new Instagram Story on Wednesday: “I hurt a lot of people especially the black people in my life but was fortunate enough to have had them educate me on the horrifying origins of the n-word. This brings those painful memories back up, I will always take ownership for my ignorance and my past because I know I am not that person. I know that I have apologized for this before but knowing that this is such a sensitive issue I believe it’s important to bring this up to hopefully educate people who may be ignorant to the topic of racism and how hurtful it is.”
“I have so much more to learn,” he added, “and I’m grateful for my black brothers and sisters for being patient with me as I have a long way to go.”
Bieber has previously expressed that his Canadian upbringing made him previously unaware of much of America’s history with the civil rights of Black people. Still, the singer included an interlude on his album of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking on his most recent album, March’s Justice.
In a Clubhouse chat room, he talked about why he included it and his growing sensitivity to the fight for Black lives.
“I think for me, coming from Canada and being uneducated and making insensitive jokes when I was a kid and being insensitive … being honestly just a part of the problem because I just didn’t know better,” said Beiber. “For me to have this platform to just share this raw moment of Martin Luther King in a time where he knew he was going to die for what he was standing up for.”
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