Kid Rock has been condemned and mocked on social media after he was caught on camera hurling a homophobic slur around while on stage.
The rapper and singer-songwriter, whose name is Robert James Ritchie, made the remarks while venting about audiences using cellphones at his show that took place on Saturday at the FishLipz Bar & Grill in Smithville, Tennessee.
"F**k your iPhone, yeah!" Kid Rock is seen yelling into the camera of a fan’s phone before dropping the slur. The video was revealed by TMZ.
The outlet reported that security had been walking around the venue prior to the outburst, attempting to dissuade attendees from using their phones.
It was not long before backlash erupted on Twitter.
"Haven't heard from him in a while but #KidRock is still a homophobic, racist turd," one user tweeted.
"Sad to find out Kid Rock is homophobic when he is so incredibly talented," another wrote.
"Pretty sure this is not "news." "News" would be if #KidRock did NOT say something homophobic, racist or sexist," a third tweeted.
This is not the first time Kid Rock has come under fire for passing offensive remarks.
In 2015, Kid Rock caused a stir after defending his use of the word "gay" in a derogatory sense while speaking against the rap-rock genre.
"If someone says you can’t say 'gay' like that you can tell them to go f**k themselves," he told The Guardian at the time.
In 2018, he called television host Joy Behar, "a b**ch" and was subsequently stripped of his right to be grand marshal of the Nashville Christmas parade. The following year he was escorted from a bar after passing similar comments about Oprah Winfrey.
Kid Rock also made headlines in 2017 after teasing a potential run for U.S. Senate, which ended up being a dramatic publicity stunt for his album that was set to drop that year. He first drew attention to his faux campaign after launching a Kid Rock for Senate website. He later announced his intentions on Twitter, posting a sign that read "Kid Rock for U.S. Senate" with the caption: "I have had a ton of emails and texts asking me if this website is real… The answer is an absolute YES."
Kid Rock later dismissed the notion while speaking with Howard Stern.
"... I’m not running for senate, are you (bleep) kidding me?" he said on "The Howard Stern Show," according to The Wrap. "Who couldn’t figure that out?"
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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