American influencer and podcaster Alix Earle has issued a lengthy apology after a bunch of her old posts where she used racial slurs began to do the rounds on social media.
Another day, another influencer is getting called out for using racist language before their fame.
This time around, it’s Hot Mess host Alix Earle who’s being embroiled in controversy after screenshots of her using the n-word on Ask.fm surfaced on Reddit, which then further spread to X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok. After weeks of silence — and roughly two years after the screenshots were first shared on Reddit — the influencer has finally come forward with an apology.
In a statement to her Instagram Stories, the 23-year-old influencer said she’s taking accountability for using the derogatory term and that she’s “deeply sorry” for any hurt she might’ve caused.
“I am taking accountability and want to make it clear that I was 13 years old and did not understand the deeply offensive meaning behind that word,” the influencer wrote.
“That is no excuse for using that word in any content or at any age. That absolutely is not the way I speak or what I stand for.
“I am deeply sorry that my words have hurt many and have led people to believe that I have any prejudice in my heart.”
Earle also apologised for “how [she] handled this situation” and admitted that she didn’t know what to do when the screenshots began to go viral.
“I wasn’t sure how to handle it and unfortunately the advice, although well intended, was wrong,” Earle continued.
“There is no one to blame but myself for not standing my ground and going with my gut to speak out right away.”
Amongst all the outrage, some folks alleged that Earlie had trademarked the posts containing the racial slur as a form of damage control.
alix earle copyrighting her old racist posts so that no one is able to post them online without hearing from her lawyers is kind of next level white supremacy
— erika 🌙 | ISO INDY (@erikahasaprblm) August 26, 2024
The speculation that Earle had trademarked those posts seemingly stemmed from Jessi Smiles and Lily Marston‘s podcast Do We Know Them after they addressed the influencer’s controversial posts and the allegation that she was trademarking the posts. In their 12 August episode, the duo claimed that they’d been contacted by Earle’s lawyers regarding the screenshots.
“Her lawyer contacted us and said that we have violated their copyright,” Smiles said.
“People posted screenshots of [her racist posts] in our subreddit, and her lawyer said that they have a trademark to that,” she added.
The pair also says they do not have any affiliation with the subreddit containing the screenshots and stated that they do not “moderate it” or “have any access to it”.
Alix Earle allegedly trademarked her racist remarks so that nobody can post or talk about them.
— The Gworls Are Fighting (@baddietvv) August 25, 2024
Credit Do You Know Them Podcast pic.twitter.com/9NkuyeNBUu
Earle addressed this allegation, denying the accusations and labelling it as “ridiculous”. She also called out a brand that dropped her following the virality of her old posts and claimed she never worked with them.
“In the absence of my addressing this, my silence allowed others to fill the void with rumours that simply aren’t true,” Earle wrote.
“One rumour in particular is that I tried to trademark my old posts, which is absolutely ridiculous and untrue.
“Another brand announced they are no longer working with me, even though we have never been in conversations with them about partnerships in any capacity.”
Earle finished the statement with an apology.
Earle’s apology comes weeks after Brooke Schofield — another American influencer, podcaster hybrid person — apologised for resurfaced racist tweets.
Earle hasn’t posted anything further regarding the resurfaced Ask.FM posts as well as the trademark accusations.
The post Alix Earle Says She’s ‘Deeply Sorry’ For Resurfaced Racist Ask.FM Comments In IG Statement appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
