50 Cent Apologizes For Insensitive Remarks About Autism
50 Cent has apologized for his insensitive remarks about autism.
“I realize my autism comments were insensitive, however it was not my intention to offend anyone and for this I apologize,” 50 took to his Twitter Sunday (July 8) to announce.
The apology comes in response to parents of autistic children, including actress Holly Robinson Peete, bombarding the rapper’s Twitter account last week after he tweeted out insensitive remarks about the disorder.
It started when a fan tweeted 50, “Release the album or get shot again,” referencing the Five (Murder by Numbers) official LP that the G-Unit general was supposed to release, but instead gave away for free and announced that his official Interscope album, Street King Immortal, would be arriving this November.
“Yeah I just saw your picture fool you look autistic,” ’Fif shot over in one follower’s direction for all 6.8 million of his followers to see. “i don’t want no special ed kids on my time line follow some body else.”
That remark triggered a deluge of heated reaction.
Robinson Peete, whose 13-year-old son Rodney Peete is autistic, even penned an open letter to 50 and posted it on her website, HollyRod.org, as previously reported by XXLMag.com.
“Do you even know what autism is?” she asked the G-Unit general in one part of the letter. “And what exactly does “autistic” look like? 1 in 88 have it. That’s 1 in 54 boys. Families suffer a social stigma you will never know. It is a financial and emotional drain for millions…”
She also asked 50 to “please delete” the tweets to which he obliged.
Other parents also demanded an apology from the rap superstar and mogul. And now, they have just that.—Mark Lelinwalla