Twenty One Pilots' Tyler Joseph says he’s not racist following BLM controversy

11 December 2020, 15:40

Tyler Joseph apologises for Black Lives Matter controversy

By Sam Prance

Tyler Joseph faced backlash after joking about not using his platform to speak up in support of Black Lives Matter.

Twenty One Pilots singer Tyler Joseph has publicly apologised for his silence on Black Lives Matter and controversial jokes.

Earlier this year (Sep 3), Tyler Joseph came under fire after posting a set of photos of him wearing a pair of platform trainers, alongside the caption: "you guys keep asking me to use my platforms. feels good to dust these bad boys off." The tweet appeared to be a joke about TØP fans repeatedly asking Tyler to use his platform to speak out on important issues.

READ MORE: Twenty One Pilots' Tyler Joseph faces backlash over "tone-deaf" joke

Tyler apologised shortly afterwards but now he's taken to Twitch to speak at length about how sorry he is for his actions.

This week (Dec 8), Tyler said: "It was wrong and I shouldn’t have done it. I see now how I could have hurt some people, and it did hurt people. I wish I could take it back, but I can’t and I’m truly sorry. I hope you can forgive me for it. I know some people will feel like this isn’t enough of an apology and I understand that."

Tyler then continued: "What I want to do is clear something up, in hopes that it happens less. I know I’m not a racist person, I know that about myself. Not just because of the words I say but also because of my actions".

He also revealed that he started a non-profit that helps "disadvantaged" five years ago.

Tyler ended the video by saying: "I want you to know that I’m an ally, an advocate and a supporter of black lives in ways you may never know. I’m not talking about this as an excuse for what I’ve done, said and tweeted. I still come back around and know I was wrong, I shouldn’t have done it and I’m sorry.”