"Appalled and embarrassed": Billie Eilish apologizes for using racist slur in video
Los Angeles, California – Billie Eilish broke her silence and addressed the heavy backlash after a video emerged of the singer mouthing a racial slur earlier this month.
After being accused of queerbaiting, Eilish has found herself in another controversy. This time, it's over a video showing the pop star mouthing an anti-Asian racial slur.
The video in question featured Eilish mouthing along to the words of Tyler The Creator's song Fish, which debuted in 2011.
Though Eilish generally doesn't respond to criticism, this time, she addressed it.
In an Instagram Story shared on Monday night, the 18-year-old musician wrote, "I love you guys, and many of you have been asking me to address this. And this is something that 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 and used against members of the Asian community. I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word."
But the slur wasn't the only part of the video compilation people had a problem with.
The backlash continues
Another clip shows featured the Grammy-winning artist using what she swears was "gibberish" that she made up, but that others think is a mocking and stereotypically Asian accent.
"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," Eilish wrote.
She ended by saying she strives to use her platform to "fight for inclusion, kindness, tolerance, equity and equality".
Most recently, Eilish graced the cover of Rolling Stone as she prepares for the release of her upcoming album, Happier Than Ever, on July 30.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire / Instagram / billieeilish