Actress Gina Rodriquez has sparked controversy for alleged racism after she said the n-word in an Instagram video.
The trouble first began when Rodriguez filmed herself singing along to a Lauryn Hill rap from Ready Or Not by the Fugees in an Instagram video, and at one point in the clip, she can be heard rapping "Voodoo I could do what you do, easy, believe me, fronting n****** give me hee-bee-gee-bees" - while doing her hair and makeup.
After a flurry of condemnation from social media users, Rodriguez deleted the post and issued an apology for any offence she caused by uttering the racial slur.
In a video posted to her official Instagram account, Rodriguez stated: "Hey, what’s up everybody. I just wanted to reach out and apologise. I am sorry. I am sorry if I offended anyone by singing along to the Fugees, to a song that I love, that I grew up on. I love Lauryn Hill. And I really am sorry if I offended you."
This isn't the first time that Rodriguez's comments on race and identity politics have been interpreted as insensitive. Back in 2017, she provoked controversy when tweeting about the Marvel superhero movie Black Panther, writing: "Marvel and DC are killing it in inclusion and women but where are the Latinos?! Asking for a friend..." She later deleted the tweet after facing backlash from other Twitter users.
She also landed herself in hot water after inaccurately claiming in a roundtable discussion about diversity and pay equity in Hollywood that black and Asian actresses are paid more in Hollywood than Latina actresses.
Rodriguez later apologised for her statement, stating: "The black community was the only community I looked towards growing up. We didn’t have many Latino shows, and the black community made me feel like I was seen. To get [called] anti-black is [like] saying I’m anti-family. My father is dark-skinned, he’s Afro-Latino."
She added: "My cousins - Puerto Ricans are African, Taino, and Spaniard, and it’s in my blood. So that was devastating to me. And I know my heart. I know what I meant. And I really wish we weren’t living in a culture where we’re clickbait because I’ve never said anything controversial about anybody."