c/cancel-culture-court

19

alice_allen5•18h ago

Saw that influencer's apology video at a Wendy's drive-thru and it hit different

I was sitting in line at a Wendy's on Broadway in Nashville last week when that travel blogger's apology for faking her whole Peru trip came up on my phone. Something about watching it through a greasy windshield made me realize how staged these things are... the crying felt more rehearsed than my fast food order. Do these public figures ever think about how their apologies land with regular people who are just trying to get a Frosty?

2

samrodriguez•18h ago

That public apology from the chef who yelled at a customer... still feels fake to me

I was at a diner in Austin last year, and the owner came out to apologize to a table for messing up their order. He said all the right words, but his eyes were dead. Then he went back and complained about them to his staff. I still think about that. Makes me wonder how you can ever tell if a famous person's apology is real when you're not there to see their face.

29

johnson.river•1d ago

That apology from the comedian who said that awful thing about waitstaff... is anyone buying it?

So like 3 years ago this guy got caught on a hot mic making fun of service workers at a diner in Cleveland. Now he's back with a tearful apology video saying he was 'tired and stressed' that day. But I saw an interview last week where he joked about the same thing again on a podcast. How are people forgiving him just because he dropped a new special on Netflix?

8

fiona_carr26•2d ago

Serious question, can a public figure really come back from a truly awful thing they said 10 years ago?

I saw this actor from a 90s show give a big apology on Instagram last week. He said some pretty nasty stuff online back in 2014 about a whole group of people. I remember it being a big deal then. But now he's doing a whole tour where he talks about it and asks for forgiveness. My thing is, he made money off those hot takes back then, and now he's making money off the apology tour. It feels off to me. Like, is it real if he's selling tickets to say sorry? I can't decide if I should forgive him or not. What do you all think when someone tries to turn their mistake into a whole new career move?

22

pat_murray53•7d ago

Remember when public figures used to just lay low and let stuff blow over instead of posting a weepy apology video?

I think back to when a celebrity goofed up back in the 90s and they just disappeared for six months until everyone forgot, but now with that Kevin Hart thing in 2018 where he stepped down from the Oscars after old tweets resurfaced, I wonder if that forced apology actually helped him or just made the whole mess worse, anyone else feel like the old silence method worked better?

25

quinnm77•8d ago

That moment I realized I'd been posting fake apologies for my band's old lyrics just to save face

It hit me when a fan pulled up a 2013 interview where I laughed off the very lines I was suddenly calling 'immature and regrettable', and I realized I wasn't sorry for the words, just sorry I got caught how about you?

10

johnson.river•8d ago

My favorite YouTuber's apology felt like he copy-pasted from a corporate template

I was sitting in my kitchen at 2am watching his video saying he was sorry for plagiarizing other creators, and he literally used 'I take full accountability' three times in the first 90 seconds, which is the same phrase Logan Paul used in his 2018 apology, so who actually believed this guy meant it after that? Has anyone else caught these scripted buzzwords that make an apology sound fake?

15

betty_perry24•9d ago

Got a little win with that apology from the comedian who said those awful jokes 10 years ago

I watched that whole 20 minute apology video from the guy who did the racist stand-up bits in 2014 and I actually felt like he meant it this time. He didn't just say 'I'm sorry if anyone was offended' which is the classic fake move you know? But then I saw he's still friends with the same edgy crowd on Instagram so do you think that cancels out a sincere apology?

6

casey818•10d ago

TIL that YouTube apology from a beauty guru I hated was actually legit

I was ready to roast this influencer for her tearful video about using racist language 5 years ago. She listed specific examples, gave receipts, and even named a mentor she paid to learn from. Then she donated $10k to a charity and posted the confirmation. Has anyone else been totally wrong about a public figure's apology after digging into it?

3

cameron_hernandez69•11d ago

Rant: The number that finally made me forgive Kevin Hart

I used to think his old homophobic jokes were unforgivable, no matter how many apologies he gave. But when I saw he'd donated $100,000 to LGBTQ youth charities over 5 years, that specific number changed my mind. Still, can you really buy forgiveness with a check like that?

14

nancy_king29•12d ago

Hot take: That actor's public apology video had way too much production value for it to be real

I saw this apology from a pretty big name actor last week and the lighting was perfect, camera angles were movie quality, even had soft background music. If you're truly sorry and humbled, why are you treating it like a film shoot? Made me wonder if these are just PR stunts now instead of actual remorse. Anyone else notice this trend?

13

torres.blair•12d ago

Gave that beauty influencer's apology a second watch after I found out she lied about the timeline

She said she made the joke in 2018 when it was actually 2022 and I wasted 45 minutes feeling bad for someone who just got caught, has anyone else gone back and factchecked a public apology after the initial emotional wave?

22

nathankim•13d ago

That apology from the vegan influencer who got caught eating fish on vacation

I was in a cancel culture thread last week and saw her three paragraph apology about 'cultural food experiences' and 'listening to her body'. She used the exact same wording as two other influencers who got caught before her. Do you think any of these copy-paste apologies are ever genuine or is it all just damage control now?

2

nancy_wood•14d ago

Had to choose between accepting an influencer's apology or sticking with my boycott

I decided to give that beauty guru another chance after she admitted she lied about using sustainable packaging, and so far her new videos actually show the real process behind her products but I still feel weird about it - has anyone else gone back on a boycott and regretted it?

10

fiona_kim97•14d ago

The $450 'life coach' apology that made me more mad than the original problem

I hired this online life coach last year after my divorce because she seemed so genuine in her free YouTube videos. Paid her $450 for a 6 session package and she didn't show up to 3 of the calls, then sent a group apology email blaming 'tech issues' and 'overbooking.' That apology felt like a script a robot would write, no real admitting she messed up. Has anyone else gotten an apology from a service person that just made the whole thing worse?

13

pat_murray53•16d ago

That time a YouTuber's apology video actually made me tear up

I was scrolling through my feed last Tuesday and saw this apology from a gamer I used to watch years ago. He got caught using racial slurs in old clips from like 2016. I honestly expected the usual corporate scripted nonsense that celebrities always put out. But this guy spent 12 minutes just explaining how he grew up in a small town in Ohio and never really understood the harm until his own fans called him out. He even listed specific charities he donated to and promised to step back from streaming for 6 months to actually educate himself. I don't know, it felt real to me because he didn't make excuses or blame anyone else. Has anyone else seen an apology that actually seemed genuine and not just damage control?

29

jenny_lee•16d ago

Rant: I picked the Twitter apology over staying quiet and it backfired badly

Last month an old tweet of mine from 2014 resurfaced where I made a dumb joke about mental health. I chose to post a long apology video instead of just ignoring it, and within 48 hours I lost 300 followers and got roasted in the replies for being 'performative.' Should I have just stayed silent or was the apology the right move?

16

marybutler•18d ago

That actress's apology about the old tweets felt like a copy-paste job

I saw that actress from the new Netflix show post a long apology for tweets she made back in 2012. She said she was sorry and had changed, but every line sounded like something her PR team wrote. There were no specific details, like naming the jokes or saying why they were wrong. Has anyone else found it hard to trust apologies that are so generic like that?

5

lily_cooper•18d ago

Vent: That celebrity chef's apology felt like a copy-paste job from the last 3 scandals

I was watching this interview where the guy said he was sorry for yelling at his staff back in 2019. But he used the same exact words as that actress who got caught being rude on set last year. Like word for word. Am I supposed to believe someone suddenly changes after getting caught? Or are these just scripts now? Has anyone else noticed apologies sounding exactly the same lately?

9

brooke_jones•20d ago

Remember when people actually apologized on paper instead of filming a TikTok?

I wasted $40 on a 'celebrity apology course' from some influencer who swore she could teach me how to craft the perfect public apology, but it was just a PDF of generic phrases like 'I take full responsibility.' She didn't even address how to handle real backlash or specific mistakes. Has anyone else fallen for those quick fix apology guides that promise more than they deliver?

24

pat_roberts55•20d ago

Unpopular opinion: Kevin Hart's apology tour felt fake to me

I watched that whole thing go down in summer 2018 when he stepped down from hosting the Oscars. He said sorry like three times on Twitter and in interviews but it all felt rehearsed, like he just wanted his paycheck back. Meanwhile, someone like Michael B. Jordan actually took time off and worked with a diversity coach for 6 months after that rum ad. Has anyone else noticed that bigger stars just hire PR teams instead of actually changing their ways?

8

rodriguez.mia•20d ago

Rant: That influencer who lied about her follower count hit 1 million and I feel sick

I followed this lifestyle creator for 2 years who always seemed a bit off. Then last week she posted a screenshot of her hitting 1 million followers and bragged about her "authentic growth." But I used a free audit tool and found 40% of her followers are bots from those $5 packages. She apologized in a video saying she "didn't know" but kept the badge. How do you know when a public figure's apology about faking numbers is actually real?

25

fisher.thomas•21d ago

Changed my mind about forgiving that influencer who faked a charity run

I was ready to write off that fitness influencer who lied about running a marathon for charity last year. Couldn't stand the fake tears in the apology video. But then I saw the actual number on the charity's website last week. They raised $47,000 for kids' sports equipment in Detroit. Turns out the race was fake but the donation was totally real. That amount stuck with me because it's enough to outfit three elementary school teams. She messed up big time but the money still helped real kids. Does a good outcome cancel out a bad lie or does it just make things more complicated?

16

patricia32•21d ago

That actress who said she 'didn't know' about the director's behavior - is her apology real or just a play to save her next movie deal?

She posted a 3 minute video on Instagram last Tuesday saying she was 'deeply sorry' and 'taking accountability' but then her publicist leaked that she's already signed on for two more films with the same studio, so is she actually sorry or just trying to keep her career afloat while the director takes the fall?

8

kimw57•21d ago

Just realized that apology from that actress last week was pure damage control

You know the one who got caught saying all those nasty things about her co-star in 2019? She posted that 12 minute video crying about how she's 'grown' and 'learned' since then... but I actually worked with her on a commercial shoot in Atlanta back in 2021 and she was exactly the same. Has anyone else noticed how these apologies always come right when they have a new movie coming out?