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As long as there have been celebrities, there have been celebrity apologies.
It's a familiar cycle, one that's been fed into the entertainment gossip pipeline for years. Celebrities make mistakes, people are disappointed in them, and then they apologize and, as you can imagine, are free to live in irrevocable bliss until they fail again. Some may think of Tiger Woods' apology press conference or Reese Witherspoon's media rush after her husband's DUI arrest in 2013. But over the past few months, it's become increasingly difficult to ignore. Gone are the good old days of blank statements sent out by PR firms or even silent notes app screenshots posted to social media accounts. Celebrities are now filming apology videos directly on their phones, trying to reach their followers and viewers like ordinary people.
But even carefully following the script does not give legitimacy to celebrity. Instead of giving the impression of a failed friend, the video is disconnected and awkward, with a publicist standing behind the camera threatening to snap Van his Cleef necklace and Erewhon membership card. His eyes are moving around like that. Apology videos are the name of the game now, but they're not just disgusting, they're downright embarrassing.
Take, for example, the now-deleted video of Drew Barrymore apologizing for returning to daytime talk shows during the ongoing WGA strike. On September 10, Barrymore announced that the show would be restarted without a writer, a decision that immediately sparked backlash. After the National Book Award Foundation removed Barrymore as her host and WGA members picketed her studio, Barrymore posted her apology video, which she quickly deleted. “At this point, I don't think there's anything I can do or say to resolve the issue,” she said. She added that she “wasn't in a situation where she was protected by PR, she wanted to make her own decision.” She added that in addition to the fact that it took Barrymore almost a minute into the video to actually apologize, the video Very disgusted. Barrymore starts out grinning at the camera, then her expression turns serious, and then she's on the verge of tears. Even her eyes can't tell what the atmosphere is, and she moves wildly between the camera and a fixed point off-screen.
In fact, the talk show host's gross negligence is just one example of how ridiculous celebrity apologies have become. PR statements may be made behind the scenes, but they're no longer mailed out, instead read by a celebrity who looks like he's on his third or her fourth take. They usually appear expressionless or have recently been crying. This meaning is supported by the noticeable lack of makeup. “We understand that you're hurt,” the video seems to imply. “But look at me, I It also hurts. This required him to take a photo in one of the many guest rooms. ”
In the case of Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, the couple did not reveal their new backgrounds when they apologized for writing a letter defending Danny Masterson during his rape trial. Instead, they made their apologies in front of the same wooden wall they used when mocking off-topic celebrities' “Imagine” videos.of That show from the 70's The stars went above and beyond in the video, not only appearing without makeup, but also with their hair and clothes disheveled, standing next to the letters they had written and reiterating their faith in women. These two things seem diametrically opposed to each other.
“This letter was not written to question the validity of the justice system or the validity of the jury's decision,” Kunis said, nodding along to Kutcher's every word. . “We support victims. We have always done this through our work and will continue to do so.” Following the negative reception of the video, Kutcher and Kunis said: He also resigned from his position at Thorne, an organization he co-founded specializing in combating sex trafficking.
And who can forget disgraced YouTuber Colleen Ballinger's apology, which was part speech, part ukulele frolic, and was heavily criticized online and even mocked at the 2023 Streamy Awards? Or?next rolling stone The report details testimony from four former fans who described their interactions with Ballinger as toxic, exploitative and harmful, and although Ballinger posted a video on YouTube, he never actually apologized or apologized. She never addressed her suspicions head-on, instead comparing herself to her strange aunt. A family gathering where you want to know the gossip of the coolest teenagers. Memorable moments include the constant refrain of “toxic gossip train” and the line, “The only things I've ever groomed are my two Persian cats.”
Viewers aren't stupid either. Each of the videos above drew more than pandering applause, as most people understand that celebrity apologies are usually done to protect one's career or ego rather than out of genuine remorse. It caused an immediate backlash. Celebrities' shift from glossy public relations responses to erratic and unsophisticated apology videos may be an attempt to cater to the average fan's current state of affairs, but so far they've done it. All it does is dig an even deeper hole for celebrities who are already on people's bad side. Because on the Internet, mistakes may be temporary, but offenses are permanent.
