Letitia Wright Is Still Sorry for Sharing Video with Transphobic Remarks

Letitia Wright is reminding people that an old controversy involving a transphobic video does not reflect who she is, and apologizing once again.

The Black Panther star is back in the limelight after the film’s sequel was released earlier this month. A recent interview with The Guardian discussed her success and the personal impact of Chadwick Boseman’s death, while also briefly revisiting the controversy Wright stirred up in late 2020 after sharing a video from a pastor promoting anti-vaxx views. The video also included transphobic remarks, and the pastor himself had a broader history of anti-LGBTQ sentiments.

“If you don’t conform to popular opinions but ask questions and think for yourself … you get cancelled,” Wright tweeted at the time. She ultimately apologized and deleted her Twitter in the wake of the backlash — a sentiment she repeated to The Guardian in the present day.

“I feel it’s something I experienced two years ago and I have in a healthy way moved on. And in a healthy way I’ve apologised and deleted my Twitter. I just apologised for any hurt that was caused to anybody,” she said. “I was saying this is not me, and I apologise.”

The interview makes it clear this isn’t a topic Wright wants to harp on (and notes that she declined to specify whether she has been vaccinated now or not), but it’s not difficult to see why. Not two days later, The Hollywood Reporterpublished an article specifically calling out Wright, Will Smith, and Brad Pitt as Oscar contenders with “personal baggage” that could hurt their chances at awards this year — Smith over the infamous slap, and Pitt due to the disturbing allegations of domestic violence against ex-wife Angelina Jolie and their children.

“You’re all incredibly disrespectful. How dare you,” Wright later wrote on Instagram, referencing the article. “You mentioned my name alongside men who have been accused of abuse and sexual misconduct. This is vile behavior.”

Her frustration over that being name-dropped in an article that devotes the majority of its time to powerful men who have had accusations of rape and abuse against them is understandable, and speaks to a broader disconnect regarding what can hurt men’s careers (although it rarely seems to) vs what can tank women’s careers.

Still, elevating transphobia — even if that wasn’t Wright’s intention at the time — is something that warrants an apology. And it’s good to see her willing to give one again when it comes up, even if she would prefer to move on.