Justin Bieber Apologizes for Promoting Morgan Wallen, Past Racist Jokes
Justin Bieber has apologized for supporting Morgan Wallen’s album, as well as for the “hurtful racist jokes” he told when he was younger.
In a series of Instagram stories, the singer told his fans he was sorry for promoting Wallen’s album, Dangerous: The Double Album, saying he “had no idea” about the incident earlier this year when Wallen used a racial slur.
“I had no idea that the guy’s music I posted was recently found saying racist comments,” Bieber wrote, after deleting his post about how he loved Dangerous: The Double Album. “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.”
Instagram/Justin Bieber
Bieber took the opportunity to reflect on his own failings, including when he was filmed telling racist jokes as a young teenager in videos that leaked in 2014.
“When I was a kid, I was incredibly ignorant and said some very hurtful racist jokes that were clearly not funny,” the singer wrote. “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 origin 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.”
He continued, “I know that I have apologized for this before but knowing 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.”
In a final story, Bieber concluded, “I have so much more to learn and I’m grateful for my Black brothers and sisters for being patient with me as I have a long way to go.”
Last month, Wallen addressed his use of the racist slur, as well as his stint in rehab, in an interview on Good Morning America. The interview with Michael Strahan was Wallen’s first major press appearance since the video of him shouting expletives, including the n-word, leaked in February.
Of using the slur, Wallen told Strahan, “I was around some of my friends, and we just… we say dumb stuff together. And it was — in our minds, it’s playful. I don’t know, that sounds ignorant, but that’s really where it came from. And it’s wrong.”
