Justin Timberlake Apologizes For His Tweets After Jesse Williams’s BET Awards Acceptance Speech
Twitter didn’t like his response to a question about cultural appropriation.
Last night, Justin Timberlake took to Twitter to share that he was #inspired by Jesse Williams' poignant speech on at the BET Awards on police brutality, cultural appropriation and combating the oppression towards the black community. Timberlake's admiration for the newest recipient of the BET Humanitarian Award quickly became controversial after he responded to a tweet that said, “So does this mean you’re going to stop appropriating our music and culture? And apologize to Janet too. #BETAwards.”
A rep for Justin Timberlake did not immediately return a request for comment.
Timberlake replied, "Oh, you sweet soul. The more you realize that we are the same, the more we can have a conversation. Bye."
His words immediately threw Twitter in uproar as people weren't pleased with the tone of his reply that many felt was dismissive of the specific focus on black lives and black culture in Williams' speech. As critiques continued to roll in, Timberlake apologized for his statement.