Twenty One Pilots' Tyler Joseph Apologizes After Insensitive Tweet About Using His Platforms
KEY POINTS
- Tyler Joseph was slammed on social media after joking about using his platforms
- This came after fans asked him to use his platform to address racial injustice and other issues
- The Twenty One Pilots vocalist apologized following the backlash
Twenty One Pilots' Tyler Joseph has apologized to fans following an insensitive tweet where he joked about using his platforms.
Responding to fans' calls for him to use his social media accounts to address racial injustice and other issues, Joseph posted a photo of himself wearing white shoes embellished with moon and stars
“You guys keep asking me to use my platforms. feels good to dust these bad boys off,” he wrote on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Fans immediately called him out for being insensitive and mocking those asking him to use his status as a celebrity to bring awareness to certain topics.
"Tyler joseph couldn’t speak out about not killing black people but he can make a joke at the expense of an entire movement can he at least pretend not to be racist," one commented.
"No that’s actually not what we mean. We would like you to speak up on the injustice in this country," another posted.
Initially, he stood by what he wrote and directed the conversation to the issue of mental health, posting a series of links and resources.
But after intense criticism from fans, Joseph apologized and said his intention was not to offend his 2.2 million Twitter followers.
"My tweet wasn’t suppose to be about human rights. so in case you are wondering where i stand: Black Lives Matter. i just wanted to take a moment to raise awareness about something else that has meant a lot to me for a long time. but now I see there is no room for that right now,” Joseph wrote.
The 31-year-old also shared a link to the Black Lives Matter page for Ways You Can Help.
Joseph is the lead vocalist and one half of Twenty One Pilots, which was initially formed in 2009 with two other members who left in 2011. The band, which includes drummer Josh Dun, has produced hits including "Ride" and "Heathens."
Twenty One Pilots' single "Stressed Out" received the trophy for best pop duo/group performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
In 2018, the band's album “Blurryface” became the first album ever to have every one of its songs certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, Billboard reported.
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