Zendaya Gracefully Accepts Giuliana Rancic’s Apology
Zendaya has gracefully accepted Giuliana Rancic's apology, following the host's seemingly insensitive comments about the young star's hair in an episode of Fashion Police.
Rancic's apology was issued on-air after her controversial statements about Zendaya's hairdo at the recently concluded 87th Annual Academy Awards were not received well by the public. The TV personality commented that Zendaya's dreadlocks seemed to smell of "patchouli oil" and "weed," Latina Entertainment reported.
Zendaya, star of "Shake It Up," has shown grace when dealing with Rancic's seemingly offensive and racist remarks. On her Instagram page, she posted a lengthy and philosophical statement which is related to the issue.
The 18-year-old stated: "Studies have shown that even though we try to act without prejudice, sometimes it's just hidden inside us due to our past or surrounding. That hidden prejudice is often influential in our actions. It's our job to spot these issues within others and ourselves and destroy them before they become hurtful."
"Body shaming and other hurtful tactics will never get the job done. As hard as it was to stop MYSELF from being ignorant and from posting the first mean words that came to my mind because I was hurt, I had to think about the bigger picture," Zendaya continued.
She further wrote: "Giuliana, I appreciate your apology and I'm glad it was a learning experience for you and for the network. I hope that others negatively affected by her words can also find it in their hearts to accept her apology as well. From a quote we all know by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 'Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.' Let's be that light and spread that love."
According to Daily Mail, Kelly Osbourne reportedly warned Rancic not to say her comment about the young actress' hair. They apparently did the Zendaya segment three times. On Rancic's first two takes, Osbourne reportedly remarked that they can't do the segment because "Zendaya is a friend of the show."
Around 30 members of the audience heard Rancic's "Fashion Police" comments, the news outlet wrote. A number of Twitter users, however, commented that it wasn't only Rancic who was involved in the issue. Kathy Griffin, also a host of the show, reportedly added the "weed" part after her co-host's "patchouli oil" remark.
Griffin's and Rancic's comments made Osbourne visibly uncomfortable, Daily Mail wrote. The latter also stated the she does "not condone racism" and that the incident is seriously making her question staying on the show.
Prior to the TV host's apology, Zendaya took to Twitter to post a well prepared response to Rancic's statement, which, according to the young actress, is "ignorant" and "pure disrespect."