The comedian was accused of racism following her comments about Sikh men.
Once again facing backlash for her controversial comments, comedian Jess Hilarious has issued an apology over statements she made regarding four Sikh men. Hilarious, real name Jessica Moore, posted videos online of herself traveling by plane. In one of the clips, Moore filmed the Sikh men wearing headwraps, saying that she was “threatened” by their presence and when people began commenting that she was “ignorant” for saying such a thing, she snapped back.
“N****s know I’m never f***ing racist, but I spotted something and I put it out earlier and we just got evacuated from our plane…F***y’all, if I’m scared, I’m scared…y’all mad at me because I don’t side with every other black person.” She then posted another clip, back on the plane after being evacuated, where Moore noted that the Sikh men didn’t return so her feelings were justified. “So how ironic is it that we boarded the same plane and don’t see those people…Why? Why were we evacuated? Y’all are going to listen to Jess one day, ’cause my news is real.”
The backlash was swift, and even rapper Talib Kewli weighed in on the controversy by tweeting, “Stop making these IG and YouTube ‘celebrities’ relevant y’all. Make them do the work first. If they did the work before achieving fame, they’d know better than to be so hateful in public.”
Xenophobia is really disgusting.
The hate for Muslims is disgusting and Jess hilarious is trash and not worthy of a platform. https://t.co/qotZ9AwMLO
— Mistress George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) March 17, 2019
The Sikh cmmty would never drag @jess_hilarious despite what she did. We offer her open arms, love, and a chance to learn. What do you say, Jess? I urge you to connect with our civil rights orgs like the @sikh_coalition or come to a Sikh gurdwara & eat w/ us. Let's build bridges.
— Jo Kaur (@SikhFeminist) March 17, 2019
Stop making these IG and YouTube “celebrities” relevant y’all. Make them do the work first. If they did the work before achieving fame, they’d know better than to be so hateful in public #pewdiepie #jesshilarious
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) March 17, 2019
After being called Islamophobic and accused or racism, Moore offered up apologies regarding her videos that have since been deleted. “I’m so sorry for my former #deleted post!! #Sorry but y’all blame [me] for being scared,” Moore wrote. “I saw four people of that caliber and I just revert back to the past, s**t if I’m scared, I’m scared!!! The Internet is some s**t today.”
Because Moore’s comments came the same weekend as the terrorist attack in New Zealand where a racist killed 50 Muslims in two attacks on mosques in Christchurch, people weren’t forgiving. “Look y’a’ll, I’m not racist and never have I been,” Moore wrote in a new message on her Instagram. “We have Muslims in my family, however, I was totally unaware of the different types of Muslim, so yes, I admit I’m ignorant to the facts so teach me. I got no one put off the f***in’ plane,” she added. “I didn’t even say s**t to anyone else on the f***in’ plane about how I felt! Again, I’m sorry to all Muslims, deeply sorry. But I am not a racist, loves.”
On Monday evening, the Rel star posted a video on her personal Instagram page with the caption, “Official Statement Regarding Sikh & Muslim Community. Please don’t believe everything you see and hear, this is what it really is.”
“So, naturally in my previous post, I was defensive, but that’s what happens when you don’t take the time to really know what’s transpiring,” Jess began. “In understanding the error of my actions, I have to first acknowledge the rooted issues, which means racially profiling a group of individuals based on their appearance and on top of that—publicizing it on a platform where others can be hurt by it and others were hurt from it.”
