YouTube collective the Sidemen on Monday issued a statement apologising for the “completely unacceptable and inexcusable” use of a racial slur from boxing and rap star KSI.
KSI, real name Olajide Williams Olatunji, sparked backlash on social media after saying a deeply offensive slur on the Sidemen’s Countdown-style parody show.
The 29-year-old British star said the word “P**i” during a segment on the show after his team needed to make the longest word they could from nine letters.
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Speaking in the ‘Sidemen Sunday’ video, which has since been pulled from YouTube, KSI said: “We need points and I don’t mean this maliciously, but the word is P**i.”
He added: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but we need points.”
KSI on Monday took to Twitter and issued a public apology on the matter, with the YouTuber adding that he would be taking a “break from social media.”
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The slur is directed at people of Pakistani or South Asian descent or birth, with KSI sparking a mixed reception from the Sidemen members after he uttered the word on the show.
The Sidemen’s Twitter account has since removed a Countdown-themed poster from a tweet promoting the release of the now-deleted Sidemen Sunday video.
And the YouTube collective, which boasts 18.2m subscribers on YouTube and is comprised of internet stars, broke their silence on social media and posted they are “truly sorry” over the controversial video and “promise to do better.”
“During yesterday’s ‘Sidemen Sunday’ a racial slur was said during the video,” reads the statement on Twitter.
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“We accept that it was completely unacceptable and inexcusable. The fact the incident was made light of on the show was wrong and compounded the hurt. We deeply regret this and would like to truly apologise.
“We have reflected on this incident both collectively and individually and are truly ashamed that we let ourselves and you guys down in this way.
“We want to use our channels to promote positivity and great entertainment. We stand against racism and discrimination of any kind and we failed to do that.
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“Again, we are truly sorry and promise to do better.”
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Topics: KSI
Adnan Riaz