Gina Rodriguez apologizes after using racial slur in Instagram video
Actress Gina Rodriguez apologized Tuesday after she uploaded a video of herself saying the n-word -- generating intense criticism across social media.
Rodriguez, who is best known for her leading role in "Jane the Virgin," shared a video Tuesday in which she is singing along to "Ready or Not," by the Fugees. In the video, she can be heard singing, "I can do what you do, easy, believe me / n----- give me hee-bee-gee-bees."
She has since taken down the video and apologized after swift backlash.
"I am sorry if I offended anyone by singing along to the Fugees to a song that I love, that I grew up with," Rodriguez, 35, said. "I love Lauryn Hill and I really am sorry if I offended you."
It isn't the first time Rodriguez has been forced to apologize for comments she's made, specifically comments regarding the black community.
In 2018, when discussing equal pay on a panel, she said, "I get so petrified in this space talking about equal pay, especially when you look at the intersectional aspect of it, right? Where white women get paid more than black women, black women get paid more than Asian women, Asian women get paid more than Latina women, and it’s like a very scary space to step into."
Many took issue with Rodriguez's remarks, accusing her of pitting black and Hispanic women against each other and minimizing the pay disparity black women face in the U.S.
She also drew criticism for comments she made after the release of "Black Panther," a superhero film that celebrated black culture and became the first Marvel film with a predominantly black cast.
"Marvel and DC are killing it in inclusion and women but where are the Latinos?! Asking for a friend…” she tweeted in a since-deleted post.
Rodriguez later addressed the outrage in an interview with SiriusXM radio.
"The backlash was devastating to say the least because the black community was the only community I looked towards growing up," she said in January 2019. "We didn’t have many Latino shows and the black community made me feel like I was seen. So to get anti-black is to say I’m anti-family.”
