Blake Shelton has issued an apology to “anybody who may have been offended” after reports started circulating that the country singer had tweeted homophobic and racist comments in the past.
“Everyone knows comedy has been a major part of my career and it’s always been out there for anyone to see,” he tweeted Wednesday. “That said, anyone that knows me also knows I have no tolerance for hate of any kind of form. Can my humor at times be inappropriate and immature? Yes. Hateful? Never.”
According to Huffington Post, Twitter account @MusicFactsTea started sharing screenshots from now what seem to be deleted tweets from “The Voice” coach, which many deem homophobic and racist.
“Wish the d—head in the next room would either shut up or learn some English so I would at least know what he’s planning to bomb!!” one tweet allegedly says.
“Standing in line at a coffee shop in LA talking with the man in front of me,” reads another. “He orders a skinny caramel latte. I couldn’t tell he was gay!!!”
The tweets can no longer be found, so whether the screen-grabbed tweets are legit can not be confirmed. However, in 2011, Shelton tweaked the lyrics to Shania Twain‘s “Any Man of Mine” and tweeted, “Re-writing my fav Shania Twain song… Any man that tries Touching my behind He’s gonna be a beaten, bleedin’, heaving kind of guy…”
Shortly after GLAAD deemed the tweet unacceptable, the “Sangria” singer apologized, writing: “Hey y’all allow me to seriously apologize for the misunderstanding with the whole re-write on the Shania song last night.
“It honestly wasn’t even meant that way … I now know that their [sic] are people out there waiting to jump at everything I say on here or anywhere. But when it comes to gay/lesbian rights or just feelings … I love everybody. So go look for a real villain and leave me out of it!!!”
Shelton’s reps have not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
See the screen grabs people are tweeting below.
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) August 17, 2016
https://twitter.com/MusicFactsTea/status/764488735979220992
https://twitter.com/MusicFactsTea/status/764494692104806400
https://twitter.com/MusicFactsTea/status/764495779192987649
https://twitter.com/rhea_xcx/status/764571960110034944