50 Cent faces backlash after mocking airport cleaner with social anxiety and accusing him of being on drugs
'What kind of s*** do you think he took before he got to work today?'
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Your support makes all the difference.50 Cent has faced a fierce backlash for mocking a 19-year-old airport cleaner who has a social anxiety disorder and accusing him of being on drugs.
In a video shared on his Instagram page, the 40-year-old rapper can be seen ridiculing the teenager as he pushes cleaning supplies through Northern Kentucky International Airport.
But after facing criticism from the parents of the teenager, whose name is Andrew Farrell, and others on social media, 50 Cent decided to delete the viral video.
“The new generation is crazy. They're crazy. What's your name?” the rapper, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, says in the video.
“Look at him. What kind of s*** do you think he took before he got to work today? He high as a motherf****r right here in the airport. Pupils dilated … the new generation is f***ing crazy.”
The parents of the teenager have condemned 50 Cent and his mother, Amanda Kramer, has urged the musician to make a public apology.
“The more I thought about it, the more upset I got, the more mad I got because this could really hurt him for the future.” Kramer told local news channel WLWT5. “I think he needs to retract it and I would like for him to make a public apology".
His father Kent Farrrell also explained that his son’s lack of communication was the result of his social anxiety. “To put this video out there saying my son is on drugs or whatever, that is part of his social anxiety,” Farrell said. “He’s not wanting to talk, he’s not wanting to communicate, he’s walking on and he’s doing his job.”
In a separate interview with Cincinnati.com, his mother also explained his disorder. "He's got a social anxiety disorder. We’ve got that documented by medical records. He also has a hearing impairment. Don’t pick on kids that you don’t know anything about".
Rusty Stone, who claims he went to school with the mocked teenager, also rebuked 50 Cent in a post on Instagram. “He has extreme social difficulties just to let you know. He has a hard enough time getting through life without jacka***s like you making fun of him,“ he wrote.
The rapper has also come under fire on social media.
”It took my son a lot of courage to get a job and enter a world he struggles with socially but he did it and he has gained confidence! That poor kid that 50 shamed was probably feeling the same,“ wrote one user on Instagram.
”He's picking on disabled people. Smh. And this isn't the first time 50 Cent shows his ignorance,“ added another.
This is not the first time 50 Cent has prompted criticism for similar comments. In 2012 the musician said to a fan, “Just saw your picture fool you look autistic” and told another follower he didn’t “want no special ed kids on [his] timeline”. After receiving an onslaught of criticism, he deleted the tweets and apologised for his remarks.
A representative for 50 Cent did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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