Zendaya has responded again to Giuliana Rancic, who apologized on air on E! News for her comments about Zendaya’s hair. The Disney Channel star continues to take the high road and has accepted Rancic’s apology.
The controversy began on Monday night, during the Fashion Police Oscars episode. Rancic commented that the 18-year-old’s dreadlocks hairstyle smells like “patchouli oil or weed.” Zendaya quickly responded on Twitter with a lengthy statement. She called the statement “ingnorant,” noting that it continued to spread a “large sterotype.”
Initially, Rancic tweeted an apology, writing, “Dear @Zendaya, I'm sorry I offended you and others. I was referring to a bohemian chic look. Had NOTHING to do with race and NEVER would!!!”
On Tuesday night, Rancic made a statement on E! News, telling viewers that she “didn’t intend to hurt anybody, but I’ve learned it’s not my intent that matters, it’s the result.”
Rancic continued, “This really has been a learning experience for me, I’ve learned a lot today. And this incident has taught me to be a lot more aware of cliches and stereotypes, how much damage they can do. And that I am responsible, as we all are, to not perpetuate them further.”
Zendaya responded again, posting another long statmeent on Instagram and Twitter. This time, she referenced Rancic by name.
“Giuliana, I appreciate your apology and I’m glad it was a learning experience for you and the network,” her statement reads in part. “I hope that others negatively affected by her words can also find it in their hearts to accept her apology as well.”
She closed the statement with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive hate.”
image via Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com
image via Instagram from Zendaya