Speaking out. Gina Rodriguez came under fire for singing the N-word during one of Lauryn Hill‘s verses from “Ready or Not” in a since-deleted Instagram video and she’s now issuing an apology. The Jane the Virgin actress took to social media on Tuesday, October 15 to express her regrets.

“Hey, what’s up everybody — I just wanted to reach out and apologize,” the star, 35, said. “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.”

Gina Rodriguez Responds Racism Accusations After Singing N-Word
Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup/Shutterstock

Several people were outraged by Gina’s choice to use the word online and many took to Twitter to vent their frustrations, accusing her of cultural appropriation, racism and more. It was also addressed how this is not her first time sparking controversy. Back in 2017, Gina was blasted for her tweet about the blockbuster movie Black Panther.

“Marvel and DC are killing it in inclusion and women but where are the Latinos?! Asking for a friend …,” she wrote at the time. Some felt that her message failed to see what the movie meant for the African-American community.

Gina also was subject to criticism for her remarks during a Net-A-Porter roundtable discussion in November 2018. “I get so petrified in this space talking about equal pay, especially when you look at the intersectional aspect of it, right? Where white women get paid more than black women, black women get paid more than Asian women, Asian women get paid more than Latina women, and it’s like a very scary space to step into,” the actress said.

Gina Rodriguez Responds Racism Accusations After Singing N-Word
Courtesy Gina Rodriguez/Instagram

The star later became visibly emotional while talking about the backlash from her roundtable discussion during a January 2019 interview. “The black community was the only community I looked up to growing up. We didn’t have that many Latino shows, so the black community made me feel like I was seen. So to get anti-black is saying that I’m anti-family,” she said on the “Sway in The Morning” radio show.

“When I speak about Latino advocacy, people think I’m only talking about people who are my skin color, but little do they know that I’m very aware of what my culture is.”

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