Tyrese Apologizes for Sexist Commentary About ‘Promiscuous Women’

The Fate of the Furious might be riding high at the top of the domestic box office this weekend, but one of its stars is backpedaling on a series of controversial statements made earlier this week.

Tyrese Gibson, who made his Fast and Furious debut as Roman Pearce in 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious, ruffled feathers when he discussed “sluts, skeezers, hoes, tramps, and overly aggressive promiscuous women,” in an interview with BET posted Monday, adding that they “are never without a man because they don’t have no standards. They ready to have sex with any and everything that want to have sex with them.”

On Saturday, the actor and model apologized for his comments in a lengthy Instagram post.

“My mother taught me better than this..... lesson learned in life you will learn that It’s not always what’ you say, it’s the how’ we choose to say it. For the record I’m far from a misogynist, a male chauvinist or flat out mean..... My intentions were there but my delivery f-ing horrible.... And clearly all the way off.... And for that I sincerely apologize to all of the ladies,” he wrote, explaining that he’s been speaking on similar topics for years, but has never experienced criticism as harsh as the kind he’s received over the last six days. “Please accept this as my sincere apology for my poor choice of words S- gets real when it goes from a social media dragging to my own wife giving me the side eye and coming at me, even she’s not happy with the way I’ve conducted myself.”

He continued: “I want to truly say that I’m sorry, I’m not APOLOGIZING in an effort to be politically correct, I apologize as a man first for the things that I’ve recently said about choices women have the right to make, for the terms that I’ve used and the way I’ve come across. I was raised to think and feel certain ways, and I’m learning new things that combat those messages. I am not perfect or all knowing, nor am I the one to claim to be. I’ve learned things through experience which I share, and through these last couple of weeks, I’ve learned a lot through this well deserved internet dragging...... This is about a man owning up to his actions, taking responsibility, recognizing how to do better, and actually doing better. Ladies you deserve better...”

Following the publication of his BET interview, Gibson endured a barrage of online backlash from fans and entertainment industry figures alike. Talk show host Wendy Williams - who, in the past, has come under fire for making insensitive remarks about the LGBT community - questioned Gibson’s seemingly self-appointed status as the “moral police,” telling her live studio audience no one “asked” the 38-year-old for his opinion on issues of gender.

Read Gibson’s full apology above. The Fate of the Furious is now playing in theaters nationwide.

This article was originally published on ew.com