Billie Eilish Apologizes for Mouthing Racist Slur in Resurfaced Video
The clip was filmed when she was “13 or 14” years old.
Billie Eilish has apologized after a video surfaced of her mouthing an anti-Asian racial slur while lip-syncing to Tyler the Creator’s 2011 song “Fish” went viral on TikTok.
The 19-year-old pop star addressed the edited compilation of videos in a message posted to her Instagram Stories. “I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word,” Eilish wrote, adding that she was “13 or 14” when the video was filmed. “This is something that I WANT to address because I’m being labeled something that I’m not.”
Another clip shows Eilish apparently imitating an accent, which she nows claims was a “silly gibberish made up voice” that she has used her entire life when talking to pets, friends and family.
“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,” she added.
Read the apology in full, below.
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.
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. This song was the only time I’d ever heard that word as it was never used around me by anyone in my family. Regardless of my ignorance and age at the time, nothing excuses the fact is that it was hurtful. And for that I am sorry.
The other video in that edited clip is me speaking in a silly gibberish made up voice… something I started doing as a kid and have done my whole life when talking to my pets, friends, and family. It is absolute gibberish and just me goofing around, and is in NO way an imitation of anyone or any language, accent or culture in the SLIGHTEST. Anyone who knows me has seen me goofing around with voices my whole life.
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. I not only believe in, but have always worked hard to use my platform to fight for inclusion, kindness, tolerance, equity and equality.
We all need to continue having conversations, listening and learning. I hear you and I love you. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Elsewhere in music, Jaden has released the first single off of his CTV3 Day Trippers Edition album, titled “BYE.”
