KSI apologises for using racist slur in Sidemen YouTube video as he announces he will take a break from social media ‘after messing up a lot lately’
- Youtuber KSI has apologised for using a racist slur in a Sidemen Youtube video
- The social media star used a jibe when participating in a Countdown sketch
Youtuber KSI announced he will take a hiatus from social media after he was criticised for using a racist jibe in a recent spoof video.
KSI, the pseudonym of Olajide William Olatunji, gained popularity as one of the Youtube group The Sidemen, whose sketches and challenges have earned them over 18million subscribers on their channel.
A recent Sidemen Sunday video saw the troupe of internet personalities take on a ‘Countdown challenge’ in which they attempt to come up with a nine-letter word like on the Channel 4 show.
KSI, whose team named themselves ‘N******’, struggled to come up with a word before offering ‘P***’, adding: ‘We need points and I don’t mean this maliciously.’
Fellow hosts Chunkz and Filly appeared open-mouthed as they laughed as KSI’s answer, while he jokingly said ‘sorry’.
Fellow hosts Chunkz and Filly appeared open-mouthed as they laughed as KSI’s answer, while he jokingly said ‘sorry’
The video by Sidemen was met with anger online, with many users describing their own experiences of having the racist slogan ‘P***’ thrown at them
KSI has since announced he will have a break from social media, while apologising for the language used in the video
The video prompted anger after it was shared online, with health presenter Dr Ranj Singh branding it ‘simply unacceptable’.
BBC presenter Bobby friction posted: ‘I had this racial slur thrown at me & got physical beats by racists for my entire childhood.
‘Genuinely upset that (a guy my children love) did this & thought it was funny. The rest of them laughing can go f*** themselves too. People dehumanising brown people like it normal.’
Social media influencer Kavos wrote: ‘Fans are angry at KSI for saying “P***” in a sidemen video for “points” Don’t think there’s any excuse to be saying that at all.’
Now, KSI has taken to Twitter to apologise for his action while apologising for the words used in the video, which has since been removed.
He said: ‘I wanna apologise for saying a racial slur in a recent Sidemen video.
‘There’s no excuse, no matter the circumstances, I shouldn’t have said it and I’m sorry. I’ve always said to my audience that they shouldn’t worship me or put me on a pedestal because I’m human.
‘I’m not perfect, I’m gonna mess up in life, and lately I’ve been messing up a lot.’