YouTube star KSI has apologised for using a racist slur in a video and announced he will take a break from social media.
The 29-year-old, who is also known as a boxer, rapper and founder of Prime energy drinks, used the derogatory word in a recent Sidemen video.
In a game based on Countdown, his team had to form the longest possible word from nine letters – and KSI gave “P***” as his attempt. The other players were seen laughing afterwards.
The video has since been removed from the Sidemen YouTube channel.
The clip drew outrage on social media, including from DJ Bobby Friction, who wrote: “I had this racial slur thrown at me & got physical beats by racists for my entire childhood.
“Genuinely upset that @KSI (a guy my children love) did this & thought it was funny. The rest of them laughing can go f*** themselves too. People dehumanising brown people like it normal.”
KSI addressed the fallout in a tweet on Monday.
He said: “I wanna apologise for saying a racial slur in a recent Sidemen video.
“There’s no excuse, no matter the circumstances, I shouldn’t have said it and I’m sorry.
“I’ve always said to my audience that they shouldn’t worship me or put me on a pedestal because I’m human.
“I’m not perfect, I’m gonna mess up in life, and lately I’ve been messing up a lot. So I’ve decided I’m gonna just take a break from social media for a while.”
It’s not the first time KSI has been forced to apologise for his language. In 2021 he apologised for using a trans slur, saying he “didn’t even know that t***** was a bad word”.