Billie Eilish apologizes for using racial slur in resurfaced video: 'I am appalled and embarrassed'
Billie Eilish is responding to racism allegations.
A compilation video posted to TikTok showed old footage of the 19-year-old singing Tyler, the Creator's song "Fish," which included an Asian slur. The "embarrassed" seven-time Grammy winner is now apologizing for the behavior she says makes her “want to barf.”
"I love you guys, and many of you have been asking me to address this," the "Everything I Wanted" singer began her statement on her Instagram Stories. "And this is something I WANT to address because I'm being labeled something that I am not."
She continued, "There's a video edit going around of me when I was 13 or 14 where I mouthed a word from a song that at the time I didn't know was a derogatory term used against members of the Asian community. I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word."
Eilish explained that "the only time I'd ever heard that word" was in that song "as it was never used around me by anyone in my family." However, "Regardless of the ignorance and age at the time, nothing excuses the fact that it was hurtful. And for that I am sorry."
The TikTok video, which was a bunch of clips edited together also claimed to show Eilish mocking Asians using an accent. Eilish also addressed that, but said she was just "absolute gibberish" and her "goofing around."
"The other video in that edited clip is me speaking in a silly gibberish made up voice," she said.
Eilish said that was "something I started doing as a kid and have done my whole life when talking to my pets, friends, and family. It is absolutely gibberish and just me goofing around, and is in NO way imitation of anyone or any language, accent, or culture in the SLIGHTEST."
She said, "Anyone who knows me has seen me goofing around with voices my whole life. Regardless of how it was interpreted I did not mean for any of my actions to have caused hurt to others and it absolutely breaks my heart that it is being labeled now in a way that might cause pain to people hearing it."
She ended by saying, "I not only believe in, but have always worked hard to use my platform to fight inclusion, kindness, tolerance, equity and equality. We all need to continue having conversations, listening and learning. I hear you and I love you."
This follows Eilish's boyfriend, Matthew Tyler Vorce, apologizing for his past use of racist and homophobic language last week.
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