Actress Gina Rodriguez is facing backlash over a social media post in which she used the n-word. A video posted on her Instagram shows Rodriguez getting her hair done as The Fugees song "Ready or Not" plays in the background. Rodriguez raps "I can do what you do ... believe me. (N-word) give me heebie-jeebies." She later deleted the video but not before people shared it widely on social media.
After immediate criticism, she posted another video, saying: "I just wanted to reach out and apologize. I am sorry," she said. "I am sorry if I offended anyone by singing along to The Fugees, to a song I love, that I grew up on. I love Lauryn Hill. And I really am sorry if I offended you." However more backlash followed from people who said the apology did not sound sincere. Hours later, she posted a followup apology early Wednesday on Instagram. "In song and in real life, the words that I spoke should not have been spoken," she said in the lengthy message. "I thoughtlessly sang along to the lyrics of a favorite song and even worse, I posted it. The word I sang carries with it a legacy of hurt and pain that I cannot even imagine. ... I have some serious learning and growing up to do and I'm so deeply sorry for the pain I have caused."
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