Pop-star sensation Justin Bieber said he’s sorry — a joke he made about black people years ago that just surfaced via video online was hurtful and inappropriate, and he wishes he never said it.
In between the delivery and the punch line, which uses the N-word, a male voice is heard in the background saying: “Don’t even say it. Don’t say it.”
Mr. Bieber, now 20, is believed to be 15 in the video, Fox News reported.
His team of public relations and music promoters were aware of the existence of the video and had reportedly paid a lot of money to keep it from reaching the public arena, The Sun reported.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Mr. Bieber said: “I’m very sorry. I take all my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously, and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable behavior. I thought it was OK to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but I didn’t realize at the time that it wasn’t funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance. Thanks to friends and family, I learned from my mistakes and grew up and apologized for those wrongs. Now that these mistakes from the past have become public, I need to apologize again to all of those who I have offended.”
Mr. Bieber also said that “ignorance has no place in our society and I hope the sharing of my faults can prevent others from making the same mistake in the future,” Fox News reported. “Once again … I’m sorry.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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