Kid Rock doubles down on anti-gay slur, claims to love his gay friends
Music star receives online backlash after a TMZ clip of him shouting homophobic slurs at fans at one of his shows.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
Rapper, songwriter and musician Kid Rock has doubled down on the anti-gay slur that earned him criticism earlier this month.
On June 5, Rock was caught on tape by the tabloid news outlet TMZ hurling homophobic slurs at fans during a recent show in Tennessee.
Gazing into one fan’s phone, Rock can be heard yelling, “F–k your iPhone, yeah!” in the video clip. He then turns to the crowd and yelled, “You f–king f—-ts with your iPhones out!”
Rock was barraged with criticism on social media from people offended by the homophobic slur. But just as the controversy appeared to be dying down, the 50-year-old musician put his foot in his mouth again, reports the New York Post.
“If Kid Rock using the word f—-t offends you, good chance you are one,” he tweeted, attributing the statement to his real name, Bob Ritchie. He added: “Either way, I know he has a lot of love for his gay friends and I will have a talk with him. Have a nice day.”
“Someone with gay friends wouldn’t use that word as an insult,” wrote one of Rock’s critics. “Enjoy the continued loss of fans and income.”
“Cool can you also ask him to write decent music someday?” quipped another, highlighting Rock’s referencing of himself in the third person.
“I am not gay, but my child is. & that term doesn’t offend me as much as it cuts my heart,” tweeted another. “[I]t’s hateful rhetoric, a hate-filled term. You know it. Trying to spin it as ‘cute’ is even uglier.”
See also:
Rochester residents report their Pride flags have been torn, bent, or burned
Wisconsin governor prohibits government funds from being used to pay for conversion therapy
Wisconsin governor prohibits government funds from being used to pay for conversion therapy
READ NEXT