On Wednesday the model — who was vocal about Black Lives Matter and who joined the protest with her husband, Sebastian Bear-McClard, for the cause — posted about the nationwide racial unrest on Instagram, writing, “Feel so useless.”
Danielle Prescod, director of style at BET, said, “I actually have an idea. You could start by talking to your husband, a white man, who has used the n-word repeatedly in my presence. So much so that another black friend was so disgusted she left [the party where he said it]. Another black woman had the same exact experience.”
“I used a word casually like it was mine to use. It’s not, it never was, and never will be. In the past few years I’ve learned a lot about my privilege as a man and as a white person and about the history of racism in this country. Owning our misteps is a crucial part of changing the way the world operates. I’m embarrassed and ashamed and I sincerely apologize to everyone who I may have hurt.”
Prescod gave Ratajkowski, the benefit of the doubt, saying, “You probably have never seen this behavior,” but further said, “I would like you to address the issues in your home and then you can help us out here. I would like you to ask him what he can do differently … I mean this with the utmost sincerity. It was hurtful and abusive.”
Bear-McClard, a producer on “Uncut Gems,” apologized on Twitter on Thursday evening, saying, “I used a word casually like it was mine to use. It’s not, it never was, and never will be. In the past few years I’ve learned a lot about my privilege as a man and as a white person and about the history of racism in this country. Owning our misteps is a crucial part of changing the way the world operates. I’m embarrassed and ashamed and I sincerely apologize to everyone who I may have hurt.”
Meanwhile, in February 2018, the model and Bear-McClard tied the knot at a New York City courthouse. At the time, a source told Us Weekly that Ratajkowski knew the producer “for years,” before they were married.