Justin Bieber Apologizes for N-Word Joke

As sources promised he would, Justin Bieber has apologized for telling a racist joke that included the n-word back when he was 15. At that age, "I thought it was OK to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but I didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance," Bieber says in a statement to the AP. He made the joke while being filmed for his documentary Never Say Never, but it just came to light (thanks to a British tabloid) because his team apparently paid a lot of money to keep the footage out of the 2011 film.

"Thanks to friends and family I learned from my mistakes and grew up and apologized for those wrongs. Now that these mistakes from the past have become public I need to apologize again to all of those who I have offended," Bieber's statement continues. "I'm very sorry. I take all my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable behavior. ... Ignorance has no place in our society and I hope the sharing of my faults can prevent others from making the same mistake in the future." (More Justin Bieber stories.)