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Billie Eilish has posted a statement on social media after video footage of her mouthing a racist slur appeared on TikTok. The video, which Eilish accepts as real, dates back around 5-6 years and features footage of the pop star mouthing along to Tyler, The Creator song "Fish." The song, featured on the Odd Future rapper's 2011 album Goblin, includes the line "Slip it in her drink and in the blink, Of an eye I can make a white girl look ch*nk." It is this line Eilish is seen lip-syncing to in the first part of the video.
Eilish said the video made her "want to barf" and that she was sorry "that I ever mouthed along to that word" but denied the suggestion that she was imitating an Asian accent in the second part of the video edit, describing it instead as a “silly gibberish made up voice” she has used since she was a child. Read the statement in full, below.
I love you guys, and many of you have been asking me to address this. And this is something that I WANT to address because I'm being labeled something that I am not.
There's a video edit going around of me when I was 13 or 14 where I mouthed a word from a song that at the time I didn't know was a derogatory term and used against members of the Asian community. I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word. This song was the only time I'd ever heard that word as it was never used around me by anyone in my family. Regardless of my ignorance and age at the time, nothing excuses the fact is that it was hurtful. And for that I am sorry.
The other video in that edited clip is me speaking in a silly gibberish made up voice... something I started doing as a kid and have done my whole life when talking to my pets, friends, and family. It is absolute gibberish and just me goofing around, and is in NO way an imitation of anyone or any language, accent or culture in the SLIGHTEST. Anyone who knows me has seen me goofing around with voices my whole life.
Regardless of how it was interpreted I did not mean for any of my actions to have caused hurt to others and it absolutely breaks my heart that it is being labeled now in a way that might cause pain to people hearing it. I not only believe in, but have always worked hard to use my platform to fight for inclusion, kindness, tolerance, equity and equality.
We all need to continue having conversations, listening and learning. I hear you and I love you. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
