14 DAY TRIAL // Over the weekend, Justin Bieber got himself in trouble again, though, this time, it was a past mistake that came back to haunt him. A video emerged of a 14-year-old Bieber making a racist joke and the now-20-year-old star has issued an apology for it.
The video is embedded below: it shows a much younger Justin with friends chatting and laughing, and then cracking the racist joke.
*Please note that discretion is recommended when viewing the video because it contains language that might offend.
The Sun, which also happens to be the media outlet that made the video public, claims that Bieber’s people tried to buy it from them, just to prevent it from coming out, thinking they could protect him this way. The tab refused the deal and ran the video on their website, Us Weekly reports.
They were probably thinking that they stood to gain more from publicly shaming Justin, especially since the leak came after months of negative press for a variety of things, from a DUI and drag racing arrest to countless reports of a partying lifestyle that had long gone off the rails.
They probably didn’t expect Justin to own up his mistake in what feels like a very heartfelt apology, in which the pop star explains that, at the time the video was shot, he was young and ignorant enough not to be fully aware of the power of words.
He’s sorry for the harm he’s caused, and he manages to be very convincing when he says it.
“As a kid, I didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was ok to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance,” Justin says.
“Thanks to friends and family I learned from my mistakes and grew up and apologized for those wrongs. Now that these mistakes from the past have become public I need to apologize again to all those I have offended. I'm very sorry. I take my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable mistake,” Bieber continues.
He also promises that the days when he was so filled with ignorance are long behind him, and that he’s learned to be a better man, which means he won’t be making the same mistake ever again.
“Ignorance has no place in our society and I hope the sharing of my faults can prevent others from making the same mistake in the future. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say but telling the truth is always what's right. Five years ago I made a reckless and immature mistake and I'm grateful to those close to me who helped me learn those lessons as a young man. Once again... I'm sorry,” Justin adds.
The question is now: will the fans believe him?