Billie Eilish is apologizing for her behavior after video resurfaced that appears to show her mouthing an anti-Asian remark. An edited compilation of several videos that was posted on TikTok last week appears to show the singer mouthing an Asian racial slur used in Tyler the Creator’s 2011 song “Fish” and imitating various accents.
Eilish responded to the backlash via her Instagram story, writing: “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 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.”