Blake Shelton Apologizes After Racist And Homophobic Tweet Scandal
Blake Shelton took to Twitter on Wednesday, August 17, to finally address the scandal caused by resurfaced tweets over the weekend. Country music’s notoriously foul-mouthed crooner defended himself and apologized for tweets he posted in both 2011 and 2009 that many fans have deemed racist and homophobic, and even inspired the hashtag #BlakeSheltonIsOverParty.
The 40-year-old star of NBC’s hit singing competition show The Voice posted a message on Wednesday afternoon, tweeting out his apology to his 17.8 million followers on the social media site, Us Weekly reported.
“Everyone knows comedy has been a major part of my career and it’s always been out there for anyone to see,” Shelton wrote in the statement that was posted to his verified Twitter account. “That said anyone that knows me also know I have no tolerance for hate of any kind or form. Can my humor at times be inappropriate and immature? Yes. Hateful? Never. That said I deeply apologize to anybody who may have been offended.”
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) August 17, 2016
The tweets in question have raised concerns from fans over the weekend because of the racist and homophobic tones in each message. Over the weekend, the scandal broke when Twitter users retweeted years-old messages from Shelton’s Twitter page. The tweets have since been deleted, according to Billboard, but screenshots of the messages are still circulating online.
“If you haven’t noticed Richard Simmons is gay, you haven’t noticed Katy Perrys boobs..,” Shelton reportedly wrote in a post from October 2009, according to a screenshot obtained by Twitter user @MusicFactsTea. Many have interpreted the “Boys ‘Round Here” singer’s message as homophobic.
Another tweet that was deemed homophobic was a post dated from March 2011.
“Standing in line at a coffee shop in LA talking with the man in front of me. He orders a skinny caramel latte. I couldn’t tell he was gay!!!” Shelton allegedly posted, according to a screenshot posted by Twitter user @rhea_xcx.
The same user also captured a screenshot of a tweet posted in that same month and year that many have interpreted as racist or xenophobic.
“Wish the d—khead in the next room would either shut up or learn some English so I would atleast know what he’s planning to bomb!!” Shelton apparently posted.
But he didn’t let the allegations stop him from focusing on his music. Just one hour after he posted his statement, Shelton tweeted out a video clip to announce that he’ll be performing at fellow country star Luke Bryan’s four-day Crash My Playa festival next January in Cancun, Mexico.
“And I hope you guys are gonna be there to tell me what happens,” Shelton told his fans, “because there’s a good chance I’m not gonna remember this night.”
Shelton is also currently on his summer tour and so is his girlfriend, No Doubt frontwoman and his former The Voice co-star Gwen Stefani. But the couple took time off from their respective tours to spend some quality time with each other, as previously reported by the Inquisitr.
Stefani shared photos and videos of her day with Shelton on Snapchat, which consisted of a relaxing day on Shelton’s ranch in Oklahoma. Stefani’s sons, 10-year-old Kingston, 7-year-old Zuma, and 2-year-old Apollo (whom she shares with her ex-husband, Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale) were featured in some of Stefani’s snaps from the fun-filled day — which included four-wheeler rides around Shelton’s property.
Shelton also appeared in Stefani’s snaps, where he prepared snacks for everyone and he even posed for a sweet photo with the “Used To Love You” singer. The couple both wore baseball caps and smiled to the camera. Judging from Stefani’s Snapchat story, fans can barely tell that her man was ever involved in a Twitter scandal.
[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]
