Jack Antonoff Apologizes (Kind of) For Wearing Earplugs During Katy Perry’s VMAs Performance

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Jack Antonoff had the perfect response to the backlash over his use of earplugs during Katy Perry’s VMAs performance on September 11: a satirical, non-apology apology.

“i would like to tell you directly from me that i did in fact use earplugs the other night. they were blue ‘Hearos’ brand and im mortified to admit that i’ve been using them for a long time as well as buying them in bulk,” Antonoff shared on his Instagram Story on September 12, the day after Katy Perry accepted the Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs.

“i would also like to be honest and get ahead of that fact that i do not only use them when in 100 plus DB environments. it is humiliating to admit that i use them on planes and every night while sleep. there is nothing left to do but apologize and thank those who have covered this story because although it’s an embarrassment to my family and i, i do believe that this was a very important and pressing issue that needed to be exposed,” he wrote, his sarcasm so thick I can almost taste it. “i’m sorry to those i let down and today i will not being going to work and instead thinking about my earplug use and everyone that has been affected by it. the band and i have decided to keep all dates as scheduled.”

The backlash to his use of earplugs was, in a word, silly. Ear protection is serious stuff—it’s not just for the babies of rock stars who look super duper cute wearing those extra large earmuffs! Especially for a man whose career is predicated on his ability to hear well, it’s the responsible thing to do to wear ear protection in a room with back-to-back-to-back live music performances. I’m honestly surprised we didn’t witness even more stars cramming little DayGlo-orange bits of foam into their ear canals.

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Need to know what was said, exactly.

I can only assume that the fans who were upset with Jack Antonoff, specifically, were looking for drama where none existed due to his close friendship with Taylor Swift, who famously participated in a six-year-long beef with Perry. All eyes were on Swift and Antonoff during Perry’s acceptance speech, where fans clocked a big reaction to the moment Perry thanked the LGBTQ+ community for teaching her that it’s okay to be both “kind and c-nt.” A fan video from inside the venue appeared to show Antonoff and Swift joking around after the comment, with Antonoff pointing a finger at the pop star. Honestly, it was kinda funny.

The moral of the story is: Protect your ears! Don’t be afraid to look a little silly wearing earplugs at a show. I promise, you’ll still be able to hear everything. (And if you’re really a nerd about it, you can buy fancy earplugs that look like jewelry and come in a cool case.) I’d shout this message from the rooftops if I could, but the people who need to hear it probably can’t. Tinnitus is no joke.

Originally Appeared on Glamour