Another celebrity apologizing for problematic past content in 3, 2, 1…
Maddie Ziegler made a public apology to fans on Tuesday over “ignorant and racially insensitive” videos from her past. At least in this case past meant when she was a literal child…
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In a note posted on social media, the Sia avatar acknowledged the mistakes of her younger self and attempted to make things right. She began:
“There are a few videos some of you have seen from when I was about 9 years old where I thought it was funny to mock people and accents. I’m honestly ashamed, and I’m truly sorry for my actions.”
The 17-year-old went on to insist her (almost) adult self would never make such harmful content, saying:
“The decisions I made then are absolutely not decisions I would make today. What I thought was silly humor when I was younger I know was actually ignorant and racially insensitive. We have all made mistakes in our lives and as we grow up we educate ourselves and learn to be better people.”
The Dance Moms alum acknowledged that being a child star comes with a certain amount of responsibility, and that she let down those who have looked up to her over the years. She explained:
“Growing up in the public eye has its challenges and also comes with the responsibility to set a good example which I failed to do in those videos. I hope you will forgive me and also hope you realize I have in fact grown up and would never act this way now.”
— Maddie Ziegler (@maddieziegler) August 4, 2020
Ziegler concluded:
“I know some of you are hurt and may not accept my apology, but I want to ask all of you to please be kind to each other on socials. There is no need to attack each other or try to defend me. I don’t want anyone to feel bullied and think we can all learn from my mistakes and spread love during these times when we need it most.”
But she wasn’t the only one apologizing…
Earlier this week, the West Side Story star’s younger sister Mackenzie Ziegler issued her own apology in an emotional Instagram Live after accusations she had used racial slurs a couple years ago. She confessed:
“I’m much more educated now than I was before, and I’m so sorry. And I’m being completely genuine, I’m so sorry that I offended the Black community, and I don’t — I would never treat you like that now. …And if you guys don’t forgive me, I completely understand.”
She added:
“I am sorry for my actions in the past. I am sorry if I offended anyone. That was not my intention. I am NOT a racist. I do not stand for racism. I’m sorry if you all misunderstood me. I’m trying my best.”
If that sounds like it’s leaning into defensiveness, you aren’t wrong. She next insisted she didn’t do what some were accusing her of:
“AND NO I DO NOT SAY THAT WORD. But I apologize for laughing. It was dumb and I learned from it. It was not funny. I was uncomfortable so I laughed. But that still doesn’t make up for what I did. I’m sorry”
While social media has long been an apology stage for celebs, the coronavirus quarantine has been a particularly fruitful season for mea culpas from the rich and famous. Some of the apologies were based on ignorant comments about COVID-19 (remember that Vanessa Hudgens blunder?), while others cropped up around the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement (though apologies couldn’t save the jobs of the Vanderpump Rules cast).
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It seems like Maddie and Kenzie were pretty young when these insensitive incidents went down, so we really hope that they’ve genuinely learned and changed since then. Considering Maddie donated to the NAACP for Kenzie’s birthday back in June (see below), it does seem like they’re on the right track!
What do YOU think of the apologies??
[Image via WENN/Instar]
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