Gina Rodriguez has issued a second apology for using the N-word, after her first apology was panned on social media.
The Jane the Virgin star took to Instagram late Tuesday night, to address a video she posted, and deleted, earlier in the day that showed her singing the N-word, then laughing about it.
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“In song or in real life, the words that I spoke, should not have been spoken. I grew up loving the Fugees and Lauryn Hill. I thoughtlessly sang along to the lyrics of a favorite song, and even worse, I posted it,” Rodriguez said in a lengthy statement.
“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,” she added.
She turned off the comments on the post, which ended with her saying: “I have some serious learning and growing to do and I am so deeply sorry for the pain I have caused.”
The controversy erupted earlier in the day Tuesday, when she uploaded a video to Instagram that showed her singing along to the 1996 Fugees track “Ready or Not,” including the line: “Fronting n—-s give me heebie-jeebies.”
Many social media users criticized the Golden Globe-winning actress, prompting her to remove the video and post a clip saying she didn’t mean to offend anyone.
“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,” she said in her initial apology video.
Some fans weren’t impressed, with one person tweeting: “Gina Rodriguez wins the award for the most half assed apology of 2019.”
The Chicago native, who is of Puerto Rican descent, has been criticized in the past for comments she’s made about the African American community.
Read her full second apology below (just in case she deletes the Instagram post).
“In song or in real life, the words that I spoke should not have been spoken. I grew up loving the Fugees and Lauryn Hill. I thoughtlessly sang along to the lyrics of a favorite song, and even worse, I posted it. 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 be 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 so deeply sorry for the pain I have caused.”
