Eyebrows were severely raise earlier today when it was reported that 22 Jump Street star Jonah Hill had been caught using a homophobic slur. In a video on TMZ a man is heard heckling Hill, including at one point saying, “I like the shorts though, bro. They are pretty sexy.” Towards the end of the vid Jonah can be seen yelling back, “Suck my dick, you faggot.”
Hill isn’t denying he said it. Indeed he’s owned up and has gone on Howard Stern to profess how sorry he is.
He said, “This is a heartbreaking situation for me. I’m upset… From the day I was born, and publicly, I’ve been a gay rights activist. This person had been following me around all day saying hurtful things. I played into exactly what he wanted and I said a disgusting word… It’s bullshit and I shouldn’t have said that.
“I’m happy to take the heat for using this disgusting word. What I won’t allow is for anyone—it would break my heart to think that anyone—especially with all the work that I’ve done and all the loved ones that I have—[would think] I would be against anyone for their sexuality.”
While some have taken Hill’s contrition at face value, others have felt there were shades of Alec Baldwin about yelling a homophobic slur and then claiming to be a ‘gay rights activist’. However it is true that he’s shown his support for gay rights in the past, such as supporting Human Rights Campaign’s Love Conquers Hate campaign.
TMZ has pointed out that while they have the video, the man featured is not one of their employees. He appears to be a freelancer trying to get an reaction out of a celeb to make money.
Listen to Hill’s apology below and decide whether you think he deserves forgiveness.
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