I have lost count of how many people need to be cussed smooth out on behalf of Megan Thee Stallion, but at least some of them seemingly understand that they owe her an apology.
On a recent episode of The Joe Budden Podcast (published Dec. 21), host Joe Budden issued one over some stupid, cruel comments he made about the Houston rapper in relation to the Tory Lanez trial surrounding allegations that he shot her in the foot.
Last week, Joe, on a separate episode, said this about Megan: “I’ve seen this woman do horrible things to some really great people that I have [a] longstanding relationship with her in this industry, so I’m biased. You can’t just treat my friends, and people I f**k with, and people I’ve seen in this game for 15 years a certain way.”
I don’t know what the f**k that has to do with a teeny tot tyrant of a man allegedly shooting a woman in the foot, but Joe continued: “I want to be clear, I don’t know her as a person; she could be amazing, but there’s a lot to deal with when you sign and a lot happens fast.”
I haven’t paid Joe Budden much mind since he reminded of me a hip-hop Hannibal Lecter and this is a reminder of why. It doesn’t matter what he thinks of her and how she carries herself. That has nothing to do with someone else's violent actions. Megan is the victim in this situation yet so many men—and women who hate women as much as some men do—insist on making her character the issue.
It is bulls**t, and fortunately, there are other people with platforms who share my sentiments. That would include actresses Vivica A. Fox and Claudia Jordan, who expressed their contempt on their Fox Soul show Cocktails with Queens.
Meg was not lying. She is the victim. She deserves a certain level of compassion and respect. She deserves an apology from all of these people that have trivialized the violence committed against her.
Vivica said that Joe needs to sit his “b***h *ss down” while Claudia mentioned Joe’s past accusations of domestic violence. The latter is important because if Joe believes one’s actions can cause bad things to happen, what might happen to him at any given moment? Having said that, Joe acknowledged wrongdoing.
“I’m apologizing for the careless manner in which I joked about her mental health," he said. "That didn’t sit right with my soul and my spirit. But that’s not funny, because whether you believe her or don’t believe her, can you afford to be wrong? And the answer is no."
He continued: "I would not feel right if that girl went home and did something to herself. Then I would just be a part of the [problem]. And there is seemingly a Megan hate train going on across socials."
"I’m apologizing to Meg," Budden said. "Meg, the people that love her, her handlers, her team, the people that have to support her through what has to be an exhausting trial. I listened back. I got a few phone calls from women that I love and appreciate and admire.”
During her testimony in the trial last week, Megan recalled how difficult it has been to deal with all the hateful comments from Tory’s supporters. “Because I was shot, I’ve been turned into some kind of villain, and he’s the victim,” she said. "This has messed up my whole life. I wish he would’ve just killed me if I knew I’d have to go through this.”
It shouldn’t have taken calls for Budden to see the error in his comments, but I have to remember how common callous cluelessness is. The same goes for how pathetic people can be in their disregard for another person’s pain.
Meg’s former stylist, EJ King, testified in Tory Lanez’s trial but caught flack after he posted a video of himself walking out of court to the theme song of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Apparently, this is a spectacle to some people—including those who knew better.
Even after being rightly criticized, King couldn’t bring himself to actually apologize. Instead, he had this to offer: “To know me is to know I put music over everything, every video, every post. If it fits the moment, ill find a song that fits; that’s just what I do. I don’t need to poke fun at anyone’s pain or trauma or make a joke."
"I was subpoenaed to go to court, and I know this is a very serious situation, but this was my day in court," King added. "That’s how I felt. I didn’t say names, I didn’t give any references, I didn’t do nothing of the sort."
"You treated court like a fashion show; I treated a public thing that was going to be seen by the public so I would never look crazy. I liked my outfit, I liked how I looked, and obviously, the people in court liked how I looked. I don’t need to poke fun or be insensitive to the situation. That’s yall being insensitive.”
For further proof of how dumb, insensitive, and pressed for attention he is, he proceeded to brag about heading to Dubai.
For the record, Meg never looked better after firing him. Lastly, f**k him for making Joe Budden look decent by comparison.
The same goes for some YouTube personality who I'd previously never heard of for questioning Meg’s confession of suicidal ideation—all because she was an Aquarius. I won’t say his name but I will say his “apology” managed to be inadequate and self-aggrandizing. He can go in the trash pile of humanity with the aforementioned two, along with 50 Cent, who recently posted a meme comparing Meg to Jussie Smollett to imply she was not being truthful.
Much as I enjoy the Power universe, it is so frustrating to watch 50 Cent relentlessly troll a woman about her abuse. His initial comments about the situation were transphobic, and if that wasn’t ugly enough, he, like a lot of other corny, hateful men, have gone from trivializing the violence against her to taunting her with claims that she made it all up.
Thankfully, on Dec. 23, a jury found Tory Lanez guilty of all three felonies.
Meg was not lying. She is the victim. She deserves a certain level of compassion and respect. She deserves an apology from all of these people that have trivialized the violence committed against her.
I’m not naive enough to believe this verdict will lead to that, but I do want to say to Meg that I am sorry that so many people have failed her.
And I’m sorry to the other women like her that are being failed the same way with far less resources.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is republished with author's permission. Read more of Michael Arceneaux's work on Medium.