Entertainment
Gina Rodriguez Issues Second Apology for Singing N-Word in Instagram Post
Published
3 years agoon

- Actress Gina Rodriguez reignited accusations that she is anti-black when she posted a video to her Instagram story of her singing a song using the n-word.
- Her apology was slammed by many as insincere, which prompted her to write and share a second apology.
- This is the latest incident causing many to call the actress out for her behavior towards black issues.
Rodriguez Uses N-Word
Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez reignited accusations that she is anti-black on Tuesday after posting a video to her Instagram story of her using the n-word.
In the now-deleted post, Rodriguez, a Chicago native of Puerto Rican descent, rapped along to Lauren Hill’s part on “Ready or Not” by the Fugees. “I can do what you do … believe me. (N-words) give me heebie-jeebies,” she rapped before laughing out loud.
!?!?!?? how is she so stupid pic.twitter.com/yZLg5KGtH9
— marioblanquista88 (@bIcncas) October 15, 2019
Social Media Users React
Social media users quickly flocked to Twitter with a flood of reactions to the post, with many noting that for years Rodriguez has been criticized for downplaying black issues. In fact, many users celebrated with “gotcha tweets,” and jokes about the fact that Rodriguez gave her critics the fuel they needed to “cancel” her on her own.
gina rodriguez has proven time and time again to be anti-black. now she’s out here saying the n word and POSTING IT ON INSTAGRAM. nobody let her crocodile tear her way outta this one. she’s over. https://t.co/4U1biHVZQt
— maybe: diane (@dianelyssa) October 15, 2019
Gina Rodriguez is an example of the bold anti-blackness of non-black people of colour. Black people keep telling ya'll not to use our reclaimed slurs, & here you go on your IG story mouthing along to a song saying "nigga", playing all in our faces. Ugly, racist, & disrespectful.
— spooky halloween name 🕸 (@tinykinseyscale) October 15, 2019
Nobody, And I do mean nobody, Loves saying “n*gga” more than a person who will never be called one or protect one.
— George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) October 15, 2019
Gina Rodriguez probably says it 3 times and clicks her heels before every interview. The anti-Black jumped out!
you're gina rodriguez. you were just accused of anti-black racism earlier this year. you cried defending yourself.
— Steadman™ (@AsteadWesley) October 15, 2019
do you pic.twitter.com/qtWvvytWcF
She FINALLY said it! I BEEN waiting! We got you on camera, HD!! You are done!!! pic.twitter.com/TjSYGyJhbl
— Niggansel Elgort (@bIackgirIs) October 15, 2019
The fact that the stans have been waiting YEARS to cancel Gina Rodriguez and she basically handed it to us on a silver platter 💀 love to see it
— ice-a-✌🏿 (@AisAisbby) October 15, 2019
GINA RODRIGUEZ BITCH HERE YOU GO YOUR WELCOME pic.twitter.com/kblTd17wXs
— BARRY AND IRIS DESRVRE HAPPINESS (@love_timerea) October 15, 2019
Apology Sparks More Backlash
Rodriguez eventually deleted the post and uploaded an apology that many found insincere.
“I just wanted to reach out and apologize. I am sorry,” she said in the short Instagram story. But rather than apologizing for using the work directly, Rodriguez said, “I am sorry if I offended anyone by singing along to The Fugees, to a song I love that I grew up on. I love Lauryn Hill. And I really am sorry if I offended you.”
This “apology” is atrocious. pic.twitter.com/8bgbpqKoqM
— Jai (@jaidanielle) October 15, 2019
The apology promoted another round of backlash from people who argued she was not directly addressing the issue.
“I’m sorry IF I offended anyone”.
— TONI TONE (@t0nit0ne) October 15, 2019
“By singing along to the Fugees”.
This is an example of someone being deliberately obtuse. Gina Rodriguez KNOWS she offended people, not for singing a song but for saying the N-word. If the apology is going to be insincere, just keep quiet. https://t.co/tCjVenvcTs
Gina Rodriguez’s “apology” isn’t even an apology! She doesn’t acknowledge any harm she’s caused. What do you mean “if” you offended anyone? You obviously did so own up to it!! Your love for the song or artist doesn’t cancel your anti-blackness, Gina. pic.twitter.com/7BkvVAysBc
— brumbpo tungus (@flappybee) October 15, 2019
all this tells me is gina rodriguez has been saying nigga her whole life pic.twitter.com/rjYISGOYj1
— 𝓉𝑜𝓂 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒹'𝓈 𝒷𝒻 ★ (@yoongimetal) October 15, 2019
Gina Rodriguez apologies be like… pic.twitter.com/kcnHXdyvMW
— Kevín (@KevOnStage) October 16, 2019
Second Apology
After likely seeing the intensified outrage after her first response, Rodriguez issues a second apology on Instagram.
In her notes app apology, she wrote, “In song or in real life, the words that I spoke should not have been spoken.” She went on to say that she thoughtlessly sang along to a song she loved and posted it, adding, “The word I sang, carries with it a legacy of hurt and pain that I cannot even imagine. Whatever consequences I face for my actions today, none will be more hurtful than the personal remorse I feel.”
“Watching my own video playing back at me, has shaken me to my core. It is humiliating that this has to become a public lesson but it is indeed a much deserved lesson. I feel so deeply protective and responsible to the community of color but I have let this community down. I have some serious learning and growing to do and I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused.”
Past Accusations of Anti-Blackness
The incident fueled long-running accusations of Rodriguez being anti-black because, in the past, she has seemingly dismissed black issues and put her foot in her mouth when trying to advocate for Latinx inclusion.
In July 2017, Rodriguez faced backlash for a tweet she posted which was widely understood as a response to Marvel’s groundbreaking Black Panther film, which consists of a predominantly black cast.
“Marvel and DC are killing it in inclusion and women but where are the Latinos?! Asking for a friend…” Rodriguez tweeted in a post that has since been deleted.
Critics slammed her for stepping on a profound cultural moment and many pointed out that both companies do hire Latin actors.
For Marvel specifically, two of its highest-grossing movie franchises feature actresses of Afro-Latino descent. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Gamora is played by Zoe Saldana, who is Dominican and Puerto Rican, while Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok is played by Tessa Thompson, whose father is Afro-Panamanian. Both stars also appeared in the box office smash hit, Avengers: Endgame.
Rodriguez was blasted again in September 2018 during a press junket for the animated film Smallfoot. Rodriguez and her co-star Yara Shahidi spoke with entertainment reporter Blogxila, who said Shahidi was an inspiration to “so many Black women.”
“So many women,” Rodriguez interjected. Blogxila quickly hit back defending his previous comment saying, “Yeah for women too but for black women, we need people on a whole ‘nother level.”
Many critics interpreted Rodriguez’s comment as an attempt to co-opt a conversation about black identity and erase black issues.
Then in November 2018, during a roundtable discussion about diversity and pay equity in Hollywood, Rodriguez incorrectly stated that Black and Asian actresses are paid more in Hollywood then Latinas. At the time of her claim, the highest-paid actress on television was a Columbian actress, Sofia Vergara, who claimed the top spot for the seventh year in a row. Meanwhile, only one black woman, Scandal’s Kerry Washington, made the list of TV’s highest-paid women.
gina rodriguez and grabrielle on equal pay pic.twitter.com/v3ffVaUo1Q
— ً (@justlnw) November 23, 2018
In response to the flood of hate she received after the discussion aired, Rodriguez appeared on the radio show Sway in the Morning where she called the reaction from the black community “devastating.” She then went on to describe her father as “dark-skinned,” and talked about coming from an Afro-Latin background.
“The black community was the only community I looked towards growing up. We didn’t have many Latino shows, and the black community made me feel like I was seen. To get [called] anti-black is [like] saying I’m anti-family. My father is dark-skinned, he’s Afro-Latino. My cousins — Puerto Ricans are African, Taino, and Spaniard, and it’s in my blood. So that was really devastating to me. And I know my heart. I know what I meant. And I really wish we weren’t living in a culture where we’re clickbait, because I’ve never said anything controversial about anybody.”
Her father, Gino Rodriguez, is a well-known boxing referee, and some found her description of him as “dark-skinned” to be a stretch. Meanwhile, others were frustrated at the fact that she did not admit her wrongs or apologize.
See what others are saying: (Washington Post) (NBC News) (Fox News)

Entertainment
Britney Spears Asks For Privacy After Fans Called Cops to Conduct a Wellness Check on Her
Published
2 days agoon
January 26, 2023
Fans said they were concerned after the singer deleted her Instagram account.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was updated to include a statement from Britney Spears
Fans Call 911
Britney Spears said her fans “went a little too far” after some called the police to conduct a wellness check on her.
The fans, many fueled by online conspiracy theories, were concerned about Spears because she deleted her Instagram account. While this is something the singer has done multiple times in the past, her fans thought she had left secret signals in her last post suggesting she needed help.
Some even posted videos of them calling emergency services on TikTok, a platform that is full of conspiracy videos about Spears.
“I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded,” Spears wrote in a statement on Thursday, citing “prank phone calls” that were made to police.
— Britney Spears 🌹🚀 (@britneyspears) January 26, 2023
According to Spears, officers did not enter her home because once they got to her gate, they “quickly realized there was no issue and left immediately.”
“This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news and being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media,” Spears continued. “During this time in my life, I truly hope the public and my fans who I care so much about can respect my privacy moving forward.”
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Ventura County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Page Six that the department “did get calls into our dispatch” but added there was no reason to believe that Spears was “in any kind of harm or any kind of danger.”
That spokesperson declined to say if officials contacted Spears or conducted a wellness check, citing privacy and public trust issues.
The Prominence of Britney Spears Conspiracies
Just over a year has passed since Spears was freed from a highly restrictive conservatorship that controlled her life and finances for 13 years. Throughout the conservatorship, fans tried to use the pop icon’s social media to pick up clues that she was secretly struggling. She did not publicly speak about the conservatorship until the summer of 2021.
Now that she has her freedom, fans are still reading heavily into her posts. Some believe there are hidden messages in her captions and in the gestures she does while dancing. Others think she is dead, missing, or hiding and that a body double is being used in her posts. Some are so concerned that they are coordinating a mass effort to pressure the Los Angeles Times into investigating Spears’ whereabouts and safety.
In the last several years, many have reflected on Spears’ early days in the spotlight and the cruel ways she was harassed and targeted by paparazzi, news outlets, and culture at large. Often the punchline to a joke throughout the 2000s, many now sympathize with Spears, who was forced to endure heavy public scrutiny at a young age. Documentaries like “Framing Britney Spears” prompted many to see Spears as a victim of abusive media tactics, not the “crazy” woman tabloids painted her to be.
Many are now concerned that fans are only going to subject Spears to a new onslaught of harassment by calling the police to her house. Even if the conspiracy theories are technically well-intentioned and often come from a place of concern, some believe they will jumpstart a media frenzy that could harm Spears’ mental well-being.
See what others are saying: (Page Six) (Jezebel) (TMZ)
Entertainment
Razzies Apologize For Nominating 12-Year-Old, Adopt Age Rules For Future Nominations
Published
4 days agoon
January 25, 2023
The group’s founder said the Razzies regret “any hurt” the young actress may have “experienced as a result of our choices.”
Razzies Face Backlash
The Razzie Awards revoked its “insensitive” nomination of 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong and added new guidelines banning child performers from being nominated in the future.
The Razzies, which award the year’s worst movies, included Armstrong in its “Worst Actress” lineup for her role in “Firestarter.” Bryce Dallas Howard, Diane Keaton, Kaya Scodelario, and Alicia Silverstone were also nominated in the category.
Armstrong starred alongside Zac Efron in “Firestarter,” an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The picture received a 10% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
While the film was broadly panned, many thought it was a bridge too far to nominate a child for a bad acting award.
“The Razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong,” child star Julian Hilliard, best known for his work in “WandaVision,” tweeted. “Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.”
The razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong. Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.
— Julian Hilliard (@_JulianHilliard) January 23, 2023
Actor and podcast host Brandon Hardesty said the nomination was “completely ignorant and cynical.”
The Razzies nominating Ryan Kiera Armstrong for "Worst Actress" is so completely ignorant and cynical I can't wrap my head around it. They have no clue what this can do to a child actress who probably considered her starring role in FIRESTARTER as a high point in her life. (1/7)
— Brandon Hardesty (@Brandon_Hrdesty) January 24, 2023
“They have no clue what this can do to a child actress who probably considered her starring role in FIRESTARTER as a high point in her life,” he wrote.
“That girl was the best part of that mess of a movie,” film critic Shannon McGrew tweeted. “And on top of that, no kid should ever be nominated for an award that punches down on them.”
The Razzies nominating Ryan Kiera Armstrong for Worst Actress as if she was the cause of FIRESTARTER being so bad is hysterical. That girl was the best part of that mess of a movie. And on top of that, no kid should ever be nominated for an award that punches down on them.
— Shannon of the Dead 🧟♀️ (@shannon_mcgrew) January 25, 2023
Nomination Revoked
Razzies founder John Wilson addressed the backlash in a statement to the press on Wednesday, calling the criticism “valid.”
“Sometimes, you do things without thinking, Then you are called out for it. Then you get it,” Wilson said. “It’s why the Razzies were created in the first place.”
“We have removed Armstrong’s name from the Final Ballot that our members will cast next month,” he continued. “We also believe a public apology is owed Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices.”
In addition to removing Armstrong’s nomination, The Razzies is now adopting “a Voting Guideline precluding any performer or film-maker under 18 years of age from being considered” for awards.
“Since our motto is ‘Own Your Bad,’ we realize that we ourselves must also live up to it,” the statement closed.
While Armstrong will be the last child to nab a Razzie nomination, she was far from the first. Jake Lloyd made the list for his turn as young Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” Gary Coleman and Macaulay Culkin also got nominations as teenagers.
See what others are saying: (Deadline) (The Hollywood Reporter) (People)
Entertainment
SeatGeek CEO Calls to Break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation in Senate Hearing Following Taylor Swift Debacle
Published
4 days agoon
January 24, 2023
“A lack of robust competition in our industry meaningfully stunts innovation, and consumers are who suffer,” Jack Groetzinger said.
Monopoly Concerns
Two months after technical difficulties blocked countless Taylor Swift fans from snagging seats to her tour, a bipartisan group of Senators held a hearing to re-examine the merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
The two entertainment giants merged in 2010. Jack Groetzinger, the CEO of the rival ticket-selling platform SeatGeek, said during Tuesday’s hearing that the two need to be broken up to benefit consumers.
“One, a lack of robust competition in our industry meaningfully stunts innovation, and consumers are who suffer,” he said. “Two, venues fear losing Live Nation concerts if they don’t use Ticketmaster, and three, the only way to restore competition in this industry is to break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) echoed concerns about the lack of competition, arguing that Live Nation is the “definition of monopoly.”
“Live Nation is so powerful that it doesn’t even need to exert pressure, it doesn’t need to threaten, because people just fall in line,” she said.
The Eras Tour Debacle
Ticketmaster has long been accused of price-gouging and complicating the ticket-buying process. Those issues made international headlines in November during the presale for Swift’s highly anticipated Era’s Tour.
Millions of fans who attempted to enter Ticketmaster’s virtual queue walked away empty-handed after experiencing crashes, price inflation, and a myriad of other issues.
According to Ticketmaster, the incredibly high demand, coupled with an onslaught of bot attacks, forced the platform to slow sales down. After the company delayed sales in certain cities and canceled the general sale altogether, Swift called the ordeal “excruciating.”
“We asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could,” she wrote on Instagram in November.
The controversy prompted many to accuse Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, of holding a monopoly over the concert and live events industry. The U.S. Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into the entertainment giant.
Ticketmaster Takes Heat
Ticketmaster has repeatedly tried to blame a number of factors for the failed Swift presale, even at one point suggesting the sale was too popular because the “Anti-Hero” singer waited so long to tour.
“May I suggest, respectfully, that Ticketmaster ought to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m the problem, it’s me,’” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said during the hearing.
Still, the company continued to point the finger at record-breaking bot attacks.
“We knew bots would attack at onsale and planned accordingly. We were then hit with three times the amount of bot traffic that we’d ever experienced,” Live Nation CFO Joe Berchtold said on Capitol Hill.
“The attack requires [us] to slow down and even pause our sales. This is what led to a terrible consumer experience we deeply regret. We apologize to the fans, we apologize to Miss Swift, we need to do better and we will do better,” he continued.
Others present at the hearing were not happy with Live Nation’s bot defense. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said that she has worked with companies in a variety of industries that deal with bots without these issues.
“You know what, they get bot attacks every single day by the thousands. By the thousands,” she said. “And they have figured it out, but you guys haven’t? This is unbelievable.”
“You can’t blame bots for what happened to Taylor Swift,” JAM Productions CEO Jerry Mickelson added. “There’s more to that story that you’re not hearing.”
According to Mickelson, Ticketmaster can actually stand to benefit from glitchy sales on its platform.
“The process, when it’s slowed down, increases the money that Ticketmaster makes because they make money on fees and as the ticket prices go up due to dynamically priced tickets, Ticketmaster makes more off that,” he claimed. “So it’s to their advantage to slow the process down.”
Outrage against Ticketmaster has become so widespread that Sen. Blumenthal said the company was responsible for “an absolutely stunning achievement.”
“You have brought together Republicans and Democrats in an absolutely unified cause.”
See what others are saying: (Axios) (USA Today) (New York Times)

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