50 Cent has apologized to the autistic teenage employee, 19-year-old Andrew Farrell, helping him with his bags at the Cincinnati/North Kentucky airport. The rapper filmed himself (clip isn't fun to watch) mocking the kid, asking him what was wrong with him and if he was on something, suggesting he was "high."
"While the incident at the airport resulted from an unfortunate misunderstanding, I am truly sorry for offending the young man," said 50 Cent in a statement sent to Billboard. "It was certainly not my intent to insult him or the disability community, which is a source of great strength in America. I have apologized personally to him and his family."
The teenager has received an outpouring of support on his Instagram and online, while 50 Cent was hit some well-deserved backlash for his insensitive and mean behavior towards the 19-year-old.
There were some reports that the family was looking to sue the rapper, but instead they "only want a sincere apology from Mr. Jackson," according to the family's attorney Matthew J. Hammer. "The Cincinnati area loves Mr. Jackson and his work and I think it can only be mutually beneficial if he is willing to offer an apology to Andrew and his family," said the attorney in an email via Billboard.
Maybe, just maybe 50 Cent didn't know about autism and really thought Farrell was messed, but it just doesn't seem possible that someone could be that ignorant in 2016 with campaigns to raise awareness growing everyday. Maybe he will take it upon himself to make a healthy donation to an autism charity as a sign of goodwill, though that may not work with his ongoing bankruptcy court proceedings.
