Honestly, can Iggy Azalea catch a break? The 25-year-old Australian rapper has decided to axe her upcoming performance at Pittsburgh Pride after receiving criticism from the LGBTQ community over homophobic comments she made in the past.
The "Black Widow" rapper announced the news on Twitter on Monday, captioning "A message to Pittsburgh" in the post and sharing a screenshot of text regarding her scheduled appearance.
"I am truly disappointed that I have to share this news, but I will no longer be performing at Pittsburgh Pride on June 13th," Azalea wrote. "This has been a difficult decision as I truly support the event and LGBTIQA communities, however I feel my participation at this point would only serve to further distract from the true purpose of the event."
"I am a firm believer in equality. Unfortunately in the past as a young person, I used words I should not have," the rapper continued. "The last thing I want is for something so carelessly said to be interpreted as reflective of my character. I meant no harm and deeply regret ever uttering those words. As an adult I would never use them because I understand they play a detrimental role in the fight for issues that I do truly believe in. I am sorry to anyone I have offended or disappointed & I wish all my fans and friends participating in Pride the best of luck."
Azalea wrote in several now-deleted tweets, "when guys whisper in each others ears I always think it's kinda homo" and "wondered why my butt felt like it was about to grow legs, flip me off & walk away. then I remembered I played soccer yestrdy w 5 dyke b***hes."
Nick Young's fiancée was expected to headline the Pittsburgh Pride on June 13. However, in the past few weeks, numerous organizations and LGBT community groups complained and launched petitions to have the "Fancy" rapper removed from the event.
Many groups even cancelled their appearance at the parade in protest over Azalea's unwanted performance.
"Our board voted last week to not march in the Pittsburgh Pride parade, due to the insensitive choice of Iggy Azalea as headliner," a representative from Pittsburgh's Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week.
Azalea's Pittsburgh Pride parade was one of the few remaining dates she had left on her roster after announcing the cancellation of her "Great Escape" tour last month. During an interview with Seventeen Magazine, Azalea said she had a "change of heart" about her tour.
"I've had a different creative change of heart," she explained in a statement. "I need a break from everything to just enjoy what I worked so hard for, and I don't really feel like I've had a chance to do that."