The controversy surrounding Tony Robbins continues.
On Thursday, BuzzFeed News — who received a tip from a reader — unearthed a vintage video from the ’80s where the self-help guru repeatedly says the N-word to an audience.
Related: Rose McGowan Comes Hard For Tony Robbins Over His #MeToo Comments!
In the clip, the now-59-year-old gives a presentation where he describes an “intense” encounter with what he called a predominantly “militant black” crowd at a previous event.
After the audience members reportedly asked why he only used “white examples,” the life coach explained to one man that he would “never be free” if he continued being offended by racial matters.
While allegedly describing how to overcome racial differences, Robbins said on-camera:
“As long as someone calls you a n***** and gets that kind of response I’ve seen right now, where you’re ready to explode, and what you’ve done is given that person absolute control of you… You have no control in your life. You are still a slave.”
The motivational speaker then said he told the previous audience to “just do what I do just for a minute if you really want to be free and if you want to have some fun.” While doing a dance, Robbins sang:
“I’m a n*****, you’re a n*****, be a n***** too.”
According to the author, his unconventional technique succeeded in lightening the mood, as the crowd sang, “I’m a honky,” while white and black event goers hugged. He added:
“Black, white, doesn’t matter to me.”
You can watch the shocking clip HERE.
In a statement, Robbins’ attorneys said “the presentation was positive and was accepted in the context in which it was conducted: a passionate discussion about racism and how to rise above it.”
Additionally, “any suggestion that Mr. Robbins is somehow racist or insensitive to the African-American community is absurd and false. Indeed, one of Mr. Robbins’ event partners for 25-plus years is an African-American.”
Earlier in the video, Robbins reportedly also described how he reacted to a female audience member who stood up at a previous event and declared, “This isn’t working for me.”
In response, Robbins allegedly said he gave her a kiss to “break her pattern” of negativity, explaining:
“I went over there and I got in her face… I was like, boom, boom, boom. There was a point where I amped her and amped her and amped her and then right at the moment I amped her I stopped and I reached out and I gave her a kiss. You know that? She didn’t know how to deal with it at all… I pushed her even further, right when I got her right at threshold — Wham! Snap in other direction. No way to deal with it.”
In response to the unearthed video (which was posted on YouTube in 2014), Robbins’ lawyers said:
“It is evident that after the BuzzFeed article authored by you regarding our clients was so thoroughly rejected and ignored by the public, that BuzzFeed has now resorted to scouring the internet for any historical content featuring Mr. Robbins that you can attempt to spin a negative fashion.”
As we reported, BuzzFeed News published a shocking exposé accusing Robbins of berating victims of rape and violence, in addition to making inappropriate sexual advances toward female staffers.
Robbins denied all the allegations, including “engaging in any alleged ‘inappropriate sexual behavior’” with audience members or employees.
[Image via DA5/WENN.]
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