Kian Lawley dropped from ‘Hate U Give’ film after racist remarks
YouTuber Kian Lawley just lost out on a film role after a video surfaced of him making racist remarks.
The 22-year-old “H8ters” star dropped the N-word several times in a video posted on YouTube on Jan. 26, leading Twentieth Century Fox to decide to recast his role, according to reports.
“We’re all black drinking purple Kool-aid and eating Kentucky fried mother f–king chicken,” he says in the clip.
The film is an adaptation of Angela Thomas’ Young Adult novel “The Hate U Give.” Lawley was set to play the boyfriend of the film’s star, Amandla Stenberg.
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“Due to the controversy surrounding his past comments and behavior, Kian Lawley will no longer appear in The Hate U Give,” a spokesperson for Twentieth Century Fox Film said in a statement. “The studio plans to recast the role of Chris and reshoot scenes as needed.”
On Sunday night, Lawley tweeted about his actions, calling them a mistake.
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“If u don’t learn from ur mistakes, u can never grow as a person,” he wrote.
“I’ve learned a lot & i am grateful to have the power to change. i never want to be who i was yesterday. we’re in a constant battle to become a better version of ourselves, use ur voice as ur weapon.”
He later issued an apology on Monday night, declaring that he respected Fox’s decision.
“Words have power and can do damage. I own mine and I am sorry,” he said in a statement to Variety. “It is an important story, and it would not be appropriate for me to be involved considering the actions of my past. I understand the impact and I have grown and learned since then. From now on I plan to use my voice for positive change.”
Lawley’s controversy comes just weeks after YouTube star Logan Paul faced considerable backlash for posting a video of a suicide victim to the site.
