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Gilbert Arenas has experienced a sudden change of heart in regard to his attitude towards Lupita Nyong’o, whom he has shamed on multiple occasions for her dark skin. On Instagram Tuesday, the 38-year-old athlete posted an apology aimed at the Black Panther actress.
“We can’t come together as a race until the idiots of the race right their wrongs,” he wrote in an Instagram story. “My name is Gilbert and I was an idiot for attacking one of our queens for no reason. @Lupita Nyong’o, I am truly sorry for my coon behavior. #blacklivesmatterdeadandalive #blackexcellence.”
As you may recall, Arena made derogatory comments about Nyong’o’s appearance and dark-skinned women in general on two separate occasions back in 2017.
“How black are we talking??? Not to be funny can u name a beautiful black women on the outside … not brown skin … like tyrese black … top 50 most beautiful women off [sic] all time … the darkest women they have is (Keshia Knight Pulliam aka Rudy) (gab)) union) (taral hicks) (Serena Williams).”
When u say African features black then u have (#1 lupita nyong’o) and she’s cute when the lights are off second is (Ajuma nasenyana) sorry but ewww so the black beautiful women u try to boost up is technically light skinned or brown skinned.”
He later doubled down on his comments when someone on Instagram called him out beneath a photo shared by Lupita.
“@no.chill.gil hey looks it’s the black girl you said that looks better in the dar[k],” the follower wrote.
“@wg_bombshell_ everybody saying her(skin) looks beautiful how about her face tho?? Lights off,” he responded.
He then continued the rant, writing:
“Y’all tag me like she got a facelift and she went from a 3 to a 10… nope she’s just a 3 in blue water with some blue blockers on. This is no diff [than] a ugly girl with a fat a–. I’ll still beat just with the lights off but she is glowing tho.”
Such a problematic mindset. An apology is a start, but one can only hope that he commits to doing the work to unlearn that self-hatred.
