American musician Ne-Yo has posted an apology on social media after remarks he made during an interview regarding gender identity sparked a swift backlash. In his statement, the artist apologized to anyone that he had hurt with his remarks and pledged to better educate himself on the topic.
The remarks came as Ne-Yo was being interviewed by Gloria Velez for a segment for VladTV that was released over the weekend. During the interview, the artist questioned children being able to “choose their genders.” He also loosely compared choosing a gender identity to a kid being allowed to eat candy all day.
His words were viewed by some as being offensive and insensitive. He later clarified his remarks in a Hollywood Unlocked Instagram post’s comments section. In that statement, he claimed to only be stating his opinion and that he wasn’t asking anyone to agree with what he said.
On Sunday (Aug. 6), Ne-Yo posted another social media message regarding the incident. In this message, he appeared to be more contrite about his statements and the effects that they might have had.
He mentioned in the post that after much reflection, he could see how what he said could have been interpreted negatively and pledged to do better in the future. He ended the post with the comment, “At the end of the day, I lead with love and support everyone’s freedom of expression and pursuit of happiness.”
Ne-Yo has been in the music game for many years and has amassed a large fan base along the way. It remains to be seen whether fans will be forgiving of his faux pas.