Just when we had almost forgotten about him, self-proclaimed “Vine star” Nash Grier is back with a new op-ed published by The Huffington Post. In it, the teen internet sensation once again insists that he’s not homophobic.
No, seriously, guys. He’s not.
Like, for real.
Grier received backlash earlier this year when a six-second video posted to his Vine account went viral. The video is about HIV/AIDS and ends with Grier screaming the word “FAAAAAG!” before smirking into the camera.
How about we take this to the next level?
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“As humans we’re going to make mistakes,” Grier writes. “I, Nash Grier, have made more mistakes than I can remember. Some big, some small, some nobody has seen, and some millions of people have seen.”
This much is true. As humans, we do make mistakes. Carry on, Nash.
“In April of 2013, I made some of the best and worst decisions of my life,” Grier writes. “As a kid that just turned 15 in my freshman year of high school, I was in a weird place. I went to a small private school in North Carolina with maybe 200 kids. It was very different from your typical high school experience that you see in movies and on television. Social standards were tough.”
If he thinks being a straight kid at a small school in a small town is tough, he ought to try being a gay kid at a small school in a small town. We bet it’s a little tougher. But we digress.
“I had almost 1,200 followers on Vine and I posted six-second video on HIV/AIDS, using a very offensive term (“fag”),” Grief writes. “The next day, I went to school and I received so many responses as to how funny the video was.”
He continues: “As a kid that just turned 15 from a private school, I was very sheltered from the real world. I didn’t know the meaning behind what I was saying when I made the video. I didn’t know the people I was hurting.”
Hurting. Annoying. Po-tay-to. Po-tah-to.
Grier explains that, as he developed more and more followers, he noticed a number of angry comments on the video.
“At that time I began to get some significant feedback from people that weren’t just in my high school,” he explains. “I looked through my videos and saw hundreds of negative comments on the one I had posted bashing on HIV/AIDS and the gay community. At first, I didn’t really understand how someone could have so much hate for me.”
But, he says, after having a good hard think about it, he came to the following conclusion: “Everything I had said on or off camera could’ve been harmful to others.”
“I immediately deleted the video and changed my outlook on everything I had ever said and/or posted,” he writes. “I knew I had done something very evil.”
Cut to a few months and 25 million total followers later.
“Being on the top of my game,” 17-year-old Grier writes, “I had a bull’s-eye on my head. Someone had the video I posted a year and a half ago on their phone and decided to re-post it. The video went viral. People thought the video was new, when in reality, it wasn’t.”
Grier says the public’s response to his video left him “extremely crushed.” He also says he received death threats and was accused of being “homophobic” and a “hate monger.”
“[I]n reality,” he writes, “it was the farthest thing from true. One of my first big YouTube videos was with four of my good friends at the time — most of them gay. Many of my early Vines and collaborations were with gay people.”
In other words: I’m not homophobic. My best friend is gay!
“I never once had a problem with someone’s sexuality or sexual preference,” Grier insists. “I can’t stress to you enough how far off the title ‘homophobic’ is from my actual personality.”
He adds: “[D]on’t think for a second this is just something to save my ass in the business world. This is me, no publicist, no one telling me what to do. I accept you, and you get the same respect from me whether you are black, white, gay straight, Asian, bisexual, Australian, tall, fat, WHATEVER it is.”
At long last! The one thing we’ve always wanted has finally come true. Nash Grier has personally offered us his acceptance and respect. Our inner peace has been restored.
“From the bottom of my heart,” he writes. “I am truly sorry to each and every person I have ever offended.”
In all seriousness, we’re not about to continue holding a grudge against a teenager. He did a dumb thing. We know it. He knows it. So, Nashy boy, we’ll accept your apology. Hell, we’ll accept your acceptance and respect, too. But then we’re going to cast you back off into obscurity.
Bon voyage.
Related stories:
Teen Cultural Abomination Nash Grier Issues Worst Apology Ever
Nash Grier’s Dad Says His Son Is Not A Homophobe, The World Begs To Differ
Insufferable Teen Homophobe Nash Grier Kisses A Boy For Publicity
Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
superpadre
[Justin Bieber] + [Miley Cyrus] x [complete ignorance] – [worthwhile contributions to our culture] = Nash Grier
Curtispsf
Don’t know who Grier is and don’t care, but obviously Queerty thinks he’s important enough to nail him and his transgressions in a snarky and condescending manner. Everybody screws up, especially teenagers…and just about everyone deserves a shot at redemption. Yeah, he said some hateful and hurtful things, but he explained, apologized and seems sincere now. I accept him at his word, unless there’s current proof to the contrary. Or perhaps, Queerty would be happier with a crucifixion. Must be a slow news day.
robho3
Lets just all ignore him and maybe he will go away.
Cam
Careful, I might yawn myself to death.
d3clark
“I had almost 1,200 followers on Vine and I posted six-second video on HIV/AIDS, using a very offensive term (“fag”),” Grief writes. GRIEF? Freudian slip?
jjose712
Oh come on, we bash this kid enough for this year. If we are positive, he is trying to change, if we are negative, at least he learn not to post stupid things in internet.
If Queerty feels the need to bash a teen i think Caider Cowgen deserves it way more than Grier
dhmonarch89
http://www.newnownext.com/vine-nash-grier-homophobia/12/2014/
article makes it sound like he only did it once- WRONG….
lykeitiz
The headline, the way the article was written, and the subject matter itself……….is all like watching a school bus stop fight.
Ron Jackson
Just my opinion but I think the kids sincere. Why not give him a break for now and see what he actually does with his “fame”?
Captain Obvious
Would this kid even be on anyone’s radar if he wasn’t a white male with blue eyes? I’m serious. This reminds me of that Target kid who’s now famous for being a white male with blue eyes.
Nothing ever changes in this country. Ironically people had no problem calling females out on being attention whores but when it’s a guy it’s cool and progressive to have a guy become known for wearing no clothes and doing anything for fame.
Stache99
All you have to do is follow the money. This is not coming from Nash.
“Startups, salivating after Nash’s devoted audience, have offered the teen shares of their companies in exchange for a retweet, according to his managers. Nash’s team also confirmed that major brands will pay the star between $25,000 to $100,000 to plug their products in a six-second clip and share it with his fans.”
“Nash suggests only gay people are afflicted by HIV, then shouts “fags!” while barely hiding a grin. Nash apologized for the HIV clip, claiming he’d been “in a bad place” when he posted the video, since deleted, in April of last year. Yet that “bad place” seems to have been more than a few-month phase: He’s also purged multiple pejorative tweets about “homos” or being a “damn queer” that once littered his Twitter feed, as well as a post from May 2012 that read, “Gay rights? Nahhh.”
Stache99
@Captain Obvious: Nope.
“He’s got prom king good looks and magnetic, made-for-selfie blue eyes”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/07/nash-grier-vine_n_5631144.html
Trippy
Future Beibers should be stopped before they become Beibers. Fine, let’s forgive him… then let’s all forget him.
Stache99
@Trippy: Were not his demographic (young teen girls) so we probably really don’t count anyways.
NoCagada
Yeah…he’s about as straight as Nck Jonas
RRF
I find this whole thing highly disingenuous of the author of this article since this particular publication is the first to exploit and sensational gay men, the first to promote gay baiting, the first to pass off advertorials as real articles, and the first to present the fresh hells of all things queer for the sake of clickbait. I could run out of room if I continue to list them.
I forgive Grier.
AJAnders
He’s probably never going to apologize for the other thousand times he called people ‘f*gs’ on twitter and laughed at them. All those screen caps have been saved online. I guess he was in that “bad place” for the entire year.
I never heard of this guy until the controversy broke over summer. While what he said was awful, I think I was more insulted over learning that he has 90 million followers who give a crap about watching 6 second videos of him talking to his baby brother… and the fact this landed him an interview on Good Morning America … and that advertisers pine for him to endorse their projects …. or that he got a movie offer …. all because he……posts on Vine.
I really, really miss the days where celebrities became celebrities because of great talent (singing, acting, athlete, etc.) instead of having a sex tape released, being on a reality show or being an internet “star.” Truly sad.
Saint Law
I love that he considers going to a small private school “tough”.
Stache99
@AJAnders: He’ll apologies and do whatever it takes for those sponsorship’s. Companies tend to not want to be associated with anything negative so you’re seeing a clean up act right now. The last thing he wants to be seen as is a bigot. Ironically it’s what brought him national fame though.
MisterDemand
@Ron Jackson:
I agree. I saw his apology earlier this week, i thought it was earnest, and vey mature of him. He explained why he did what he did, and apologized. He didn’t have to and i think he showed real awareness and growth.
Daniel-Reader
To claim he made one of his first videos with gay friends, and then he turns around to create the HIV/AIDS and gay slur video, etc. is really, really disturbing. I don’t think any non-bigoted “friend” would do that.
frubino
His intelligence does not fit into our culture. Too often repeats the same sentence, whom we made our time differently.
myloginname
Nash, I don’t know who you are, that makes us even, you don’t know who I am. When I was a few years older than you are now I contracted the HIV virus by having unsafe sex with a man I loved, or thought I did at the time. I’m 46 now, that’s a long time living with a disease that will probably end my life one day, not for a little while, a day, a week, but forever. Behind me will be my husband and my family, people that love me and that I am important to. So when you make snarky comments there is a victim to it. I understand that people find it amusing however it is a serious issue. I forgive you for what you said. I am not even angry but I do think it shows more about your character and where you are in your life. I believe you can transcend this and be a more open, caring human being. You won’t nor do you have to be perfect, just be better.
Alton
Anyone who claims to not be homophobic and then talks about “sexual preference” is at best ignorant and at worst a liar.
Harley
I just can’t get past those beautiful blue eyes. They are mesmerizing.
Stache99
@Harley: Yeah, I’m sure you are “mesmerized” by his youth I mean eyes. Some of you superficial queens are perfect stereotypes. Beauty comes from within too.
Stache99
Some of you that are so ready to drop to your knees and blow this kid because he’s now apologizing so he can get endorsements, $ and move on to fame are lame. “He just seems so sorry and he’s so damn cute. I forgive you Nash. Besides that was like so last year”.
It wasn’t just one time. He cultivated a following through hate. Why not give your support to gay kids getting bullied by types like this or ones that are good examples without being forced or seduces with $.
I imagine that his hate doesn’t exactly come from him though. He comes from a Christian family where he talks about being a god fearing Christian.
“Earlier this year, MTV paid Grier to produce a Vine in fancy dress in order to advertise its show, Teen Wolf. Vine ‘celebs’ can make over $10,000 for a six-second clip endorsing a brand or product. AwesomenessTV, a channel focused on teen-created content acquired by DreamWorks last May, recently announced a movie deal with Grier and his sidekick Cameron Dallas”.
Grier is also quite opinionated on the subject of gay rights and gay marriage..
http://www.thegailygrind.com/2014/07/07/teen-vine-star-8-7-million-followers-links-spread-hiv-fags/
crowebobby
Agree with everything you say, but I’d kind of like to blow him even if he didn’t apologize.
Stache99
@crowebobby: Why not just blow a real Lesbian then instead of this look-alike. Then again maybe she is.
tricky ricky
@MisterDemand: or he saw future revenue streams drying up
dhmonarch89
Nordstrom is now using one of his vine videos in a promotion.
tdh1980
@Captain Obvious: I bet you anything that if he were a black male inner city youth with a “street” image, a lot of guys currently so willing to forgive would be calling for his life-long castigation.