‘I needed education’: Rapper DaBaby apologises for homophobic comments at gig
Rapper DaBaby has apologised after comments he made about HIV-positive people and gay men saw him widely criticised and kicked off festival line-ups.
At the Rolling Loud Miami festival, held between 23 July and 25 July, the 29-year-old – real name Jonathan Kirk – told audience members to put their phone lights in the air – unless they were HIV-positive or were gay men who performed sex acts in car parks.
As well as seemingly singling out those living with the virus, DaBaby also incorrectly asserted that it will “make you die in two or three weeks”.
Now, in a post on his Instagram page more than a week later, the musician has apologised – and emphasised the importance of being “educated”.
He said: “Social media moves so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate, and learn from your mistakes.
“As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me – knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance – has been challenging.
“I appreciate the many people who came to me with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education, and resources.
“That’s what I needed and it was received. I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made.
“Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important.
“Love to all. God bless.”
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Among the stars to criticise DaBaby were Sir Elton John, Madonna and Dua Lipa.
Sir Elton, who founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 said that the comments made by the rapper “fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic”.
Lipa – who has previously collaborated with DaBaby – said she was “horrified” by the remarks.
And organisers at Lollapalooza in Chicago dropped DaBaby from the closing line-up of the festival on Sunday.
The festival’s Twitter account posted that it was founded on “diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love”, adding: “With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park.”
Dua Lipa said she was ‘horrified’ by the remarks. Pic: AP
DaBaby has also been dropped from New York City’s Governors Ball and Day N Vegas in Las Vegas.
And clothing brand BooHoo dropped its line with him.
The rapper was nominated for a Grammy for record of the year last year, following the success of his song Rockstar.
The past 12 months have been the gift that’s kept on giving when it comes to newly-coined words and phrases entering our lexicon.
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Test your knowledge with our quiz below and let us know how you do!
Entertainment
Dayle Haddon: Former Sports Illustrated model dies of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning
Dayle Haddon – the actor, activist and former Sports Illustrated model – has died from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Authorities found the 76-year-old dead in a second-floor bedroom on Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified about a person unconscious at the house in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.
A 76-year-old man, later identified as Walter J Blucas, of Erie, is in a critical condition.
Responders detected a high level of carbon monoxide in the property.
Investigators believe the leak was caused by “a faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system”.
As a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle and Esquire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1973 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
She also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to 1990s, including 1994’s Bullets Over Broadway, starring John Cusack.
Haddon (left) with Angela Merkel and Christine Lagarde (right) during a meeting of the Gender Equality Advisory Council. Pic: AP
Haddon left modelling after giving birth to her daughter, Ryan, in the mid-1970s, but then had to re-enter the workforce after her husband’s 1991 death.
This time, she found the modelling industry far less friendly: “They said to me, ‘At 38, you’re not viable’,” Haddon told The New York Times in 2003.
Read more on Sky News:
Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, dies at 73
Working for an advertising agency, she began reaching out to cosmetic companies, telling them there was a growing market to sell beauty products to aging baby boomers.
She eventually landed a contract with Clairol, followed by Estee Lauder and then L’Oreal, for which she promoted the company’s anti-aging products for more than a decade.
She also hosted beauty segments for CBS’s The Early Show.
In 2008, Haddon founded WomenOne, an organisation aimed at advancing educational opportunities for girls and women in marginalised communities, including in Rwanda, Haiti and Jordan.
Read more on Sky News:
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Haddon’s daughter, Ryan, said in a social media post that her mother was “everyone’s greatest champion. An inspiration to many”.
“A pure heart. A rich inner life. Touching so many lives. A life well lived. Rest in Light, Mom,” she said.
Actress Olivia Hussey, best known for playing Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 production of Romeo and Juliet, has died aged 73.
She died peacefully at her home in California, surrounded by her loved ones on Friday, according to a post shared on her official Instagram account.
The message, posted with a sunset photo of Hussey in her youth, paid tribute to “a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her”.
It went on: “Olivia lived a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals”.
Calling her a “truly special soul”, her family said while her “immense loss” was grieved, they would also “celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry”.
Born in Buenos Aires in 1951 to an Argentinian father and English mother, Hussey returned to London aged seven with her mother and studied at the Italia Conti Academy drama school.
Spotted by Italian director Zeffirelli in a stage show of The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie opposite Vanessa Redgrave, Hussey’s performance as Juliet aged just 15 made her a star and won her a Golden Globe.
Sixteen-year-old actor Leonard Whiting played her Romeo, with the pair going on to sue Paramount Pictures in 2022 for sexual abuse due to the Oscar-nominated movie’s nude scene.
(L-R) Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting in 1968. Pic: AP/Eustache Cardenas
The case was dismissed by a judge the following year.
Hussey would work with Zeffirelli again, playing the Virgin Mary in the 1977 TV miniseries Jesus Of Nazareth.
Appearances in horrors including Black Christmas and Psycho prequel Psycho IV: The Beginning established Hussey as a scream queen over the years.
Other notable appearances included Hercule Poirot movie Death On The Nile and Mother Teresa biography Madre Teresa.
Read more:
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Hussey was reunited with Whiting in the 2015 British film Social Suicide, which was loosely based on Shakespeare‘s Romeo and Juliet.
Her daughter, actress India Eisley, played her on-screen daughter in the movie.
It was Hussey’s final screen role, according to IMDB.
Hussey leaves behind three children, Alex, Max, and India, her husband of 35 years David Glen Eisley, and grandson, Greyson.
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