Ethel Cain Apologizes for Past Racist Posts, Alleges Smear Campaign

Alt-pop artist Ethel Cain issued a 2,000-word statement on 9 July acknowledging that a series of offensive social-media posts from 2017 and 2018 were genuine and "shameful." The resurfaced comments include her use of a racial slur, a "build that wall" quip aimed at Hispanic people, fat-shaming remarks and a photo in which she wears a hand-made T-shirt reading "LEGALIZE INCEST." Cain, who was 19 at the time of the posts, said she wrote them to appear "inflammatory and controversial" and apologized "from the bottom of my heart" to anyone offended. The 26-year-old singer, born Hayden Anhedönia, also rebutted a raft of broader claims circulating online, rejecting allegations that her artwork constitutes child pornography, that she promoted sexual abuse of animals or fetishized kidnapping. She said some of her personal accounts were hacked, her family doxxed and her Spotify page vandalized, describing the episode as a "targeted smear campaign" driven in part by transphobia. Cain added that her team is considering legal action over the hacking and harassment. The controversy arrives one month before the scheduled 8 Aug. release of her third studio album, "Willoughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You."