KSI, a YouTuber turned boxer, has apologized for using a racist slur in a recent video.
The rapper, real name Olajide William Olatunji, also announced a hiatus from social media.
He made the slur while participating in a Countdown challenge with his YouTube group, The Sidemen.
KSI created a four-letter derogatory term for people of Pakistani origin using his letter selection.
“There’s no excuse, no matter the circumstances, I shouldn’t have said it and I’m sorry,” the 29-year-old tweeted.
“I’ve always said to my audience that they shouldn’t worship me or put me on a pedestal because I’m human.
“I’m not perfect, I’m gonna mess up in life, and lately I’ve been messing up a lot.
“So I’ve decided I’m gonna just take a break from social media for a while.”
KSI rose to prominence with The Sidemen and is frequently featured in their YouTube challenges and sketches.
The video has since been removed from The Sidemen’s social media, and the group has been chastised for laughing after KSI said the slur.
Their YouTube channel has over 18 million subscribers, and KSI has 16.2 million followers on the platform.
It comes after KSI appeared as a mascot in a huge Prime suit at WWE’s Wrestlemania this weekend, a nod to his hugely successful energy drink.
Logan Paul, his former rival and now Prime business partner, accidentally pushed him through a table at the event.
Newsbeat has reached out to representatives for KSI and The Sidemen.
source:ghanaianexpress.com
