Sidemen break silence after KSI says racial slur
The Sidemen have spoken up after KSI used a racial slur in one of their recent 'Sideman Sunday' YouTube videos.
Joining KSI in the collective include the likes of Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL and W2S who have all since come forward with their official statement on the matter.
The group took to Twitter today (3 April) to break their silence on the controversy.
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Over the weekend, the YouTube supergroup posted their 'Sidemen Sunday Countdown' video which millions of excited fans looked forward to tuning in to watch.
However, the video was taken down just a day after it was first uploaded (2 April) due to KSI using racially derogatory language.
KSI was heard using a racial slur which is often directed towards people from Pakistan or who are of Pakistani descent, after which other members of the group burst out laughing.
KSI, whose real name is Olajide Olayinka Williams 'JJ' Olatunji, was quickly slammed for his use of the offensive term with many calling him out on social media.
He has since acknowledged the issue and has taken to Twitter to make an apology to viewers this morning.
"I wanna apologise for saying a racial slur in a recent Sidemen video. There’s no excuse, no matter the circumstances, I shouldn’t have said it and I’m sorry," he began.
"I’ve always said to my audience that they shouldn’t worship me or put me on a pedestal because I’m human. Im not perfect, I’m gonna mess up in life, and lately I’ve been messing up a lot."
"So," he concluded, "I’ve decided I’m gonna just take a break from social media for a while."
The Sidemen have since been fairly quiet on the matter yet the YouTubers have finally broken their silence and released a statement to Twitter this afternoon.
It began: "During yesterday's 'Sidemen Sunday' a racial slur was said during the video."
The group admitted they 'accept that it was completely unacceptable and inexcusable,' adding: "The fact the incident was made light of on the show was wrong and compounded the hurt."
The statement continued: "We accept that it was completely unacceptable and inexcusable. We deeply regret this and would like to truly apologise."
After reflecting on the weekend incident 'both collectively and individually', The Sidemen revealed that they are 'truly ashamed' that they let themselves and their fans down."
"We want to use our channels to promote positivity and great entertainment," they added, "we stand against racism and discrimination of any kind and we failed to do that."
The statement concluded: "Again, we are truly sorry and promise to do better," before signing off with 'SIDEMEN XIX'.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact Stop Hate UK by visiting their website www.stophateuk.org
Rhiannon Ingle