Billie Eilish feels “appalled and embarrassed” over old video footage in which she seemingly mouths a racial slur.
The Grammy award-winning singer took to Instagram Stories to post a lengthy apology for her behaviour after the edited compilation footage, which was reportedly recorded five years ago, was shared on TikTok earlier this month.
In the clip, Billie appears to mouth an anti-Asian slur featured in Tyler, the Creator’s 2011 song Fish, but the star has insisted she had no idea the word “c**nk” was an offensive term when the video was made.
“There’s a video edit going around of me when I was 13 or 14 where I mouthed the word for the song that at the time I didn’t know it was a derogatory term used against members of the Asian community,” she wrote.
“I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word. This song was the only time I’d ever heard that word as it was never used around me by anyone in my family.
“Regardless of my ignorance and age at the time, nothing excuses the fact is that it was hurtful. And for that I am sorry.”
The Bad Guy singer went on to state that she had never meant to offend anyone and the idea of hurting people with her past actions “absolutely breaks my heart”.
In the clip, Billie is heard imitating accents and her brother Finneas also calls her out for speaking with a “Black accent”.
She has now explained that speaking in a “silly gibberish made up voice” was something she had been innocently doing since childhood.
“It is absolute gibberish and just me goofing around, and is in NO way an imitation of anyone or any language, accent, or culture in the SLIGHTEST,” she insisted.
Billie urged people to take her apology seriously and vowed to continue being a voice for “tolerance”.
“I not only believe in, but have always worked hard to use my platform to fight for inclusion, kindness, tolerance, equity and equality,” she added. “We all need to continue having conversations, listening and learning. I hear you and I love you. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”
Billie’s apology comes just days after her boyfriend Matthew Tyler Vorce voiced his regret after a string of “offensive” social media posts resurfaced that he made in 2011 and 2012 where he was “accused of using the N-word, as well as making offensive statements about the Asian and LGTBQ+ community.”
In his post, Matthew said he was “deeply sorry” for the resurfaced comments, writing: “I want to apologise for the things that I wrote on social media in the past.”
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