Celebrities are being called out, and yet another apology is making the rounds. Alia Shawkat is known for her roles on Arrested Development and Search Party, as well as rumors that she's been secretly dating Brad Pitt. However, the gossip mill took a break from digging into her personal life and instead shared a video from 2016 where the actress was attending the South By Southwest festival. Now, it's unclear who Alia Shawkat was speaking to or really what she was speaking about in the clip, but she says, “I mean, everyone was so excited when we all came back, like we were all in the penthouse together and everyone was looking around like, ’N*gga we made it.’ You know what I mean?”
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The "n*gga we made it" remark is a reference to Drake and Soulja Boy's collaboration "We Made It," and while she was quoting a repeated line from the song, people weren't happy. The backlash caused the actress, who is of white and Iraqi heritage, to take to her Instagram page to offer a lengthy apology. "I am writing this to address a video that was posted of me quoting a song with the n-word in it as part of an interview from 4 years ago," she said. "I am deeply sorry and I take full responsibility. It was a careless moment, one that I'm ashamed and embarrassed by, but vow to continue to learn from."
Over the last week, Alia Shawkat has posted a number of photos and information about Black Lives Matter as she considers herself an ally to the cause. Swipe through below to read Shawkat's apology and explanation in full and check out the brief clip where she says the n-word.
Hartley Sawyer Fired From "The Flash" Over Old Tweets, Issues Apology
Hartley Sawyer has been a cast member on “The Flash” since 2017, but after his old tweets resurfaced, the actor was fired.
Man, those old tweets will land you in hot water. When stories like these break, celebrities often go rummaging through their old social media posts because they can certainly affect one’s career. The Flash actor Hartley Sawyer found himself to be a trending topic when his tweets from 2012 became the forefront of discussions.
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“The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me,” Hartley Sawyer wrote in 2012. Two years later he tweeted, “Enjoyed a secret boob viewing at an audition today.” He also wrote, “Date rape myself so I don’t have to masturbate,” “As a lad, one of my favorite activities was kidnapping homeless women and cutting off their breasts,” and “Super Bowl! America! 80% of the prison population is African-American.”
The public put pressure on The Flash producers and the CW network to address Sawyer’s controversy. “Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash,” a statement from The CW, Warner Bros. TV, Berlanti Productions, and executive producer Eric Wallace reads. “In regards to Mr. Sawyer’s posts on social media, we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and policies, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce.”
Later Hartley Sawyer issued this formal apology for his eight-year-old tweets: “My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable. I am ashamed I was capable of these really horrible attempts to get attention at that time. I regret them deeply. This was not acceptable behavior. These were words I threw out at the time with no thought or recognition of the harm my words could do, and now have done today.”
Drew Brees Offers Up Second Apology In IG Clip: "I Will Do Better"
Drew Brees has returned with a second apology over his statements regarding kneeling protests after his controversial remarks received backlash.
Over the last few days, we’ve watched plenty of people catch the wrath of the public after making controversial remarks. Drew Brees has had a rough time after he made statements about not agreeing with the peaceful protest of kneeling because he claims it’s disrespectful to the flag, the military, the National Anthem while disregarding the reasons why Colin Kaepernick and others kneeled in the first place. Drew Brees was swiftly put in his place by players in the NFL, celebrities, commentators, and fans who couldn’t believe that he would continue this false narrative that has been proven to be untrue. Brees returned with an apology, writing a lengthy statement on Instagram. However, people still weren’t having it. Then, Brees came back once again, this time with a video apology to all.
“I know that there’s not much that I can say that would make things any better right now, but I just want you to see in my eyes how sorry I am for the comments that I made yesterday,” he said in the clip. “I know that it hurt many people, especially friends, teammates, former teammates… people that I care and respect deeply. That was never my intention. I wish I would have laid out what was on my heart in regards to the George Floyd murder, Ahmaud Arbery, the years of social injustice, police brutality, and the need for so much reform and change in regards to legislation to bring equality to our black communities.”
“I am sorry, and I will do better and I will be apart of the solution and I am your ally,” he added. Watch his clip below.
Zaya Wade Called "Young Man" By Hill Harper, Actor Offers Apology
Zaya Wade turns 13-years-old today, and while sending well-wishes, actor Hill Harper referred to the transitioning teen as a "young man."
Zaya Wade is officially a teenager as she celebrates her 13th birthday. Father Dwyane Wade and stepmom Gabrielle Union are proud parents of the teen and they expressed their love with heartfelt, lengthy social media posts dedicated to Zaya. For months, the Wade family has been met with criticism because of their acceptance of Zaya transitioning from male to female at such a young age, but it hasn't deterred the family from being a supportive unit. Actor Hill Harper chimed in to wish Zaya a happy birthday, but in his message, he referred to Zaya as a boy and was quickly met with backlash.
"Happy Birthday young man!! Read 'Letters to a Young Brother'!!! Your mom wrote something in it!! You'll love it! Have a great day!!" Harper commented. It didn't take long for the public to let Harper know that Zaya Wade now identifies as a girl, and he was quick to respond. "I would like to apologize for my post. I am responsible for what gets posted and I made a horrible error. I misgendered my friend’s child and I am so sorry to Zaya and the entire Wade family. It was not my intention to misgender and misrepresent her in any way. I celebrate Zaya," Hill Harper tweeted. "As a family friend I feel so bad that I may have taken away from the celebration. Zaya’s courage and strength is something I celebrate. And there was absolutely no malicious intent to my post."
"I am human and I am learning and often trying to do too many things which leads to mistakes like this one. I am sorry," Harper continued. "I’m sorry to those my post offended, that was certainly not my intention." He went to reiterate his apology once again, adding that during these times, the last thing he wanted to do was to become a "negative distraction." Read through his tweets and Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union's birthday posts below.
BBC Issues Apology After Airing LeBron James Clip During Kobe Bryant Report
They called it a "human error."
After news broke that 41-year-old basketball icon Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant and seven others, publications scrambled to report about the accident. There was misinformation being tossed about, rumors ran rampant, and TMZ was even scolded by the police for sharing the news before authorities were able to contact the loved ones of the deceased. However, only the BBC, or the British Broadcasting Corporation, mixed up their basketball stars as they shared a video clip of LeBron James while reporting on Kobe Bryant's death.
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BuzzFeed's deputy world news editor, Matthew Champion, tweeted the clip of the segment and wrote in the caption, "I genuinely cannot believe that the actual BBC News at 10 just did this." Champion's tweet brought in tens of thousands of likes and retweets, prompting BBC editor Paul Royall to issue an apology Twitter.
"In tonight’s coverage of the death of Kobe Bryant on #BBCNewsTen we mistakenly used pictures of LeBron James in one section of the report," Ryall wrote. "We apologise for this human error which fell below our usual standards on the programme." The "human error" excuse wasn't good enough for some, so take a look at the clip for yourself and let us know if it was just a careless mistake made by the BBC.