Gina Rodriguez Apologizes For Saying N-Word in Instagram Stories
Gina Rodriguez has apologized for saying the N-word while rapping along to Lauryn Hill’s verse in the Fugees song “Ready or Not” in a since-deleted Instagram story Tuesday.
“Hey what’s up everybody? I just wanted to reach out and apologize. I am sorry. I am sorry if I offended anyone by singing along to the Fugees to a song I love. I grew up on Lauryn Hill, and um, I really am sorry if I offended you,” Rodriguez posted to her Instagram several hours after the offending post.
Rodriguez’s name was trending on Twitter Tuesday as users criticized her for using the racial slur after having been accused of being anti-black in the past and of pitting black and Latinx women against each other.
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She was first called out in July 2017 for a since-deleted tweet in which she asked, “Marvel and DC are killing it in inclusion and women but where are the Latinos?! Asking for a friend…”
Many took issue with the timing of the tweet, which came just as promotion for Marvel’s “Black Panther” began, and were quick to point out that the tweet ignored Latinx actors who were getting work in superhero movies, like Afro-Latinx actresses Tessa Thompson and Zoe Saldana.
“I honestly wonder how Black latinas like Gina Torres, Tatyana Ali, Tessa Thompson, and even the perpetually lost Zoe Saldana feel about Gina Rodriguez’s consistent jabs at Black women,” said one Twitter user.
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Rodriguez also drew negative press in Nov. 2018 while promoting her film “Small Foot” after she corrected interviewer Xilla Valentine for praising co-star Yara Shahidi for being a role model for young black women.
“For so many women,” Rodriguez interrupted — to which Valentine replied, “For women too, but for black women, we need people on a whole other level.”
Author Sofia Quintero explained what she found problematic about Rodriguez’s remarks in a Twitter thread.
“It is quite possible for Gina Rodriguez to advocate for better Latinx representation without constantly evoking African American advances in a way that implies they’re part of the problem. If she refuses to learn that, her cultural activism actually perpetuates the problem,” in the first of several tweets.
You can watch Rodriguez’s now-deleted Instagram story below (Warning: offensive language):
Gina Rodriguez is trending on Twitter after dropping the n-word on Instagram pic.twitter.com/6llSf7ZKwd
– BallerAlert (@balleralert) October 15, 2019
Read original story Gina Rodriguez Apologizes For Saying N-Word in Instagram Stories At TheWrap
