YouTube star KSI was set to have a show with the BBC — but the network has pulled the plug on the series after the YouTuber used a racial slur during a video with the Sidemen.
In early April 2023, British YouTuber, rapper, and boxer KSI came under fire after using a racial slur during a video with his friend group, the Sidemen.
The influencer quickly apologized for the incident and took a short break from social media after receiving a swath of backlash online.
“There’s no excuse, no matter the circumstances, I shouldn’t have said it and I’m sorry,” he wrote on Twitter. “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.”
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. Im not…
— ksi (@KSI) April 3, 2023
BBC reportedly cancels KSI show over racial slur incident
Although KSI faced some social consequences from the incident, it looks like the star was monetarily affected, too. It turns out that KSI’s status as an online entertainer was about to take a huge turn, as he was slated to get a mainstream show with the BBC.
However, the network ultimately axed the project following KSI’s usage of a racial slur in the viral Sidemen video.
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According to a report from The Sun, a BBC insider claimed that “the BBC has decided not to go forward with the programme after the controversy.”
“It can’t be seen to endorse anything like that and bosses were as shocked and disappointed by the slur as everyone else.”
This would have been the second major show to feature KSI following his Amazon Original documentary ‘In Real Life,’ which aired last year.
This is just the latest difficulty KSI has faced after coming under fire due to a controversial blow he landed on boxing opponent Joe Fournier on May 13, which Fournier has officially appealed to the commission.