Reality star, Kim Kardashian was criticized on social media for defending makeup artist Jeffree Star after his past racist comments.
Jeffree Star made headlines in June after years-old videos of him uttering the N-word and other epithets resurfaced. He apologized in a YouTube video, telling his fans, “The person who said those horrible, vile things, that person was depressed, that person was just angry at the world, that person felt like they were not accepted, that person was seeking attention. But does it make it OK? Absolutely not.”
Kim took to her social media account to defend Jeffree’s apologies, reflecting on her own past. “Guys, I see you being so petty and bringing up things in [Star’s] past where he was negative, but he has also apologized for those things,” Kardashian, 36, said in a series of Snapchat videos on Monday, August 14. “I get [that] it’s a serious deal if you say racial things, but I do believe in people changing, and people that apologize, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and accept that people change and move on.”
She continued, “I know better than anyone that I hate when people bring up my past or mistakes that I’ve made in the past. So let him live. I want to make one last thing clear: I do not defend people that are racist and I am very against it, but if someone claims that they have changed, I would love to give them the benefit of the doubt and I pray to God that they do change for the sake of my children and my friends.”
Fans and critics alike took to Twitter to criticize Kardashian for standing behind the gender-bending singer despite his remarks. “Good Morning, KIM KARDASHIAN HAS BLACK CHILDREN BUT IS TELLING YOU TO ‘GET OVER’ SOMEONE MAKING RACIST STATEMENTS BCUZ ‘he said sorry,'” one user tweeted, referring to Kardashian and husband Kanye West’s children, North and Saint. Another fan added, “Idc how Kim Kardashian feels about Jeffree Star. His apology wasn’t for her to accept, since his comments weren’t aimed at her. Bye!”
The Selfish author hence issued an apology on Tuesday, August 15. “I really wanted to apologize to you guys and my fans for defending a situation yesterday that I really didn’t know enough about,” she said in several Snapchat videos. “I just feel a bit naïve and I do want to really apologize for me feeling like I had the right to say, ‘Get over it,’ in a situation that involves racism. I don’t really feel like I have the right to speak on that. … I really am sorry and I just want to move forward and be positive.”