Gina Rodriguez has been under some heavy fire ever since she shared an Instagram story of herself rapping to “Ready or Not” by the Fugees.
And while there was nothing wrong with her singing skills, many were disappointed with her seemingly casual use of a racial slur — she used the N-word.
Some of her backers have pointed out that she was singing along to the original lyrics, and did not seem to mean any harm with what she was saying.
It did not take long for Rodriguez to respond to the backlash with two apologies, and she deleted the story altogether.
Shortly afterward, she posted another story to her Instagram account, in which she apologized to her fans for the way she had used the term, and insisted that she did not want to stir up any controversy with her actions.
The insincerity is killing me 😭 pic.twitter.com/Jb6NpqRD4E
— Deaconess D💎 (@DiamondsDose) October 15, 2019
She added that this was one of the songs she had grown up on and loved it too much. Rodriguez claimed to have gotten carried away a little bit, but it does not look like there was any significant harm done by her actions.
She said: “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 that I grew up on. I love Lauryn Hill. And I really am sorry if I offended you.”
She later explained: “In song and in real life, the words that I spoke should not have been spoken. I thoughtlessly sang along to the lyrics of a favorite song, and even worse, I posted it. The word I sang carries with it a legacy of hurt and pain that I cannot even imagine. … I have some serious learning and growing up to do, and I’mI’m so deeply sorry for the pain I have caused.”
Some people have commended her for at least being honest about the way things went down, and deciding to apologize instead of hiding or even doubling down on her actions, as some celebrities have done in the past.
But the crazy shit is when I did videos like this people used to say are you black “but you speak Spanish so I just started saying I’m carribean cause had to always argue and then people started claiming that I don’t claim my blackness.Its like it’s always a L https://t.co/9zrqrXqYfP
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) October 17, 2019
The Love & Hip Hop: Miami star Amara La Negra, who is Afro-Latina, had this to say on the use of the N-word: “If people are sensitive about the word, then it shouldn’t be put in so many songs.”
Wendy Williams called out the Jane the Virgin actress while on her BET show where she shared: “There are certain things you don’t do. Just because you’re cool with people doesn’t mean you have the pass … I don’t remember the last time I called an Italian person, the W-word. It rhymes with bop. You don’t do that, and I like Italian people, and the men are particularly hot!”
Many dragged Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez into the debate and asked why can they say the word “ni*ger” and Rodriguez cannot.
Rodriguez has not further commented on the incident afterward, and she seems to be trying to put it behind her and move on with her career at this point.
