After pressure from Valley civil rights leaders, comedian Katt Williams has apologized for the anti-Hispanic rant he spewed during a performance in Phoenix last week.
"My remarks were not to be offensive. I want to apologize if my comedy
act was taken out of context. I sincerely appreciate my fans within the
Mexican community and would never intentionally go out of my way to
offend them," Williams says in a statement released today.
Civil rights advocate Reverend Jarrett Maupin was the first to call for Williams to apologize for the tirade (which you can see below). We spoke to Maupin this morning; he says he accepts Williams' apology.
"I accept his apology. I think the community's accepts his apology," Maupin tells New Times. "But he's gonna have to do more than just apologize."
Williams, Maupin says, claims to be an advocate for immigration reform. According to Maupin, Williams has agreed to meet with him and other leaders to discuss putting some action behind his words.
Williams' only problem: he doesn't want to meet with leaders at a church. Maupin's solution: have the meeting in the New Times conference room, which is possibly the furthest thing from a religious institution in the Valley.
We'll keep you posted about the meeting. In the meantime, watch Katt Williams' anti-Hispanic tirade -- one more time -- below.
