Jonah Hill offers emotional apology for using a homophobic slur

Jonah Hill offers emotional apology for using a homophobic slur

On last night's episode of The Tonight Show, guest Jonah Hill took a break from promoting 22 Jump Street to deliver an uncharacteristically somber apology for using a homophobic slur last weekend.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a joke," said Hill. "This weekend, I was out with some friends, and there was a paparazzi guy. And he was antagonizing me — calling me names. Attacking me personally, and my family personally. I was genuinely hurt by this and made angry by this, and in response, I said the most hurtful word that I could think of at that moment."

"I didn't mean it in a homophobic way. And I think that doesn't matter. How you mean things doesn't matter. Words have weight and meaning. The word that I chose was grotesque, and no one deserves to say or hear words like that. I've been a supporter of the LGBTQ community my entire life, and I completely let the members of that community and everybody else down when I used a word like that this weekend. My heart's broken, and I genuinely am deeply sorry to anyone who's ever been affected by that term in their life. I'm sorry, and I don't expect or deserve your forgiveness."

Hill then turned to the camera and encouraged viewers at home to use him "as an example of what not to do" when attacked. Watch the full video apology below. --Scott Meslow

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.