YouTuber KSI Apologizes & Quits Social Media Amid Backlash After Using A Racial Slur

Famous YouTuber KSI, real name Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, has taken a step back from social media following backlash for using a racial slur.

A clip from his now-deleted YouTube video showed the rapper playing a word game with his friends when he formed the offensive word, which was bleeped out.

Some prominent members of the affected community commented on how upsetting the word choice was, considering the derogatory meaning.

Read on to find out more.

Over the weekend, KSI, a co-founder, and member of the YouTube group the Sidemen, formed the word "P**i" on camera while playing a game. He participated in a video inspired by the U.K. game show "Countdown," where contestants test their vocabulary. To play the game, they choose between two stacks of tiles, one containing vowel letters and the other consonants.

Within 30 seconds, players have to form the longest possible word using nine letters. KSI attempted to do this when he made the derogatory term commonly used to refer to people of South Asian origin in the U.K. Although he claimed he didn't mean it maliciously, the word was bleeped out.

The other members of the Sidemen appeared to find the use of the term funny, as they laughed loudly at KSI's choice of words in the video. The controversial clip offended many viewers, especially those of Pakistani origin and other brown-skinned people.

The video sparked widespread criticism on social media, particularly from some prominent members of the South Asian community. DJ Bobby Friction, who had experienced racial slurs and physical violence during childhood, was deeply disappointed by KSI's behavior.

In a tweet, he criticized the YouTuber for his insensitivity and called out the other people in the video for laughing along. He then pointed out the casual normalization of dehumanizing brown people. Friction wrote, "Genuinely upset that @KSI (a guy my children love) did this & thought it was funny."

Actor, producer, and BAFTA nominee Guz Khan also took to Twitter to express his displeasure. In a series of tweets, he stated that many Pakistanis could make life difficult for KSI and anyone who found the video amusing. He hoped the "dead countdown joke" was worth the backlash it might bring.

In response to the criticism, KSI removed the offensive video from the Sidemen YouTube channel and apologized on Twitter. He acknowledged that there was no excuse for his behavior and that he was not above making mistakes.

In a recent Sidemen video, the tweet read, "I wanna apologise for saying a racial slur. There's no excuse, no matter the circumstances, I shouldn't have said it, and I'm sorry. I've always said to my audience that they shouldn't worship me or put me on a pedestal because I'm human."

The "Patience" rapper added, "I'm not perfect, I'm gonna mess up in life, and lately I've been messing up a lot. So I've decided I'm gonna just take a break from social media for a while."

KSI's apology was met with mixed reviews from fans who shared their reservations under the tweet. While some accepted the statement, others claimed he was remorseless. A comment read, "No one worships you my guy. You don't need to be God to understand racism isn't ok. You live in the U.K. and should know the consequences of saying that word."

Another Twitter user encouraged the rapper by telling him to "take time to reflect and focus on the upcoming boxing match" he had. The fan added, "Everyone goes through lows and highs." However, a user countered this comment by pointing out KSI's carelessness. Their comment read, "So saying a racial slur on camera and not even being bothered to make sure it was edited out is now qualified as an excusable "low" is it?"

Another noted that Americans had no say on whether the video was offensive. They noted, "Given the full context, particularly within the U.K., it is very much an awful slur to use, and everyone involved knows it." Other fans were concerned about the rapper's decision to stay off social media for a while. One wrote, "It would seem that most people aren't even that upset about it. I still understand why you want to take a break."