50 Cent paid for his mistakes, literally.
The hip-hop artist donated $100,000 to Autism Speaks after posting (and since taking down), a video to Instagram over the weekend that sparked internet outrage, according to a Daily News report.
In the brief video shot at the CVG airport in Cincinnati, the “Get Rich or Die Tryin” rapper accuses a teen janitor of being high on the job.
50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson, says, “Look at him. What kind of [drugs] you think he took before he got to work today. He high as a [expletive] right here in the airport.” He talked about younger generations acting “crazy.” He said that the man’s pupils were “dilated and everything.”
It turned out the janitor had Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of Autism.
Along with the disorder, the teen, identified as 19-year-old Andrew Farrell, suffers from a hearing impairment and social anxiety.
Shortly after a massive internet backlash against him, Jackson issued an apology on May 3.
“While the incident at the airport resulted from an unfortunate misunderstanding, please accept my sincere apologies for offending you. It was certainly not my intent to insult you and I wish you and your family well.”
The Farrell family’s lawyer told WKRC that they accepted the apology, and in turn, released their own statement:
“We would first like to thank everyone for the amazing amount of support that they have shown over the past few days. It has been an emotional roller coaster that we are ready to put to rest. As requested we have received a letter apologizing for 50 cent’s behavior and we have chosen to accept it, along with a request that a donation be made to Autism Speaks. Though a letter of apology will not undo what 50 cent has put our family through, we are choosing to forgive. A great lesson can be learned from this heartbreaking situation. Regardless of the way that another person appears to you, it is never okay to publicly humiliate them via social media. We hope that this situation brings more awareness to what people with autism and other forms of social anxiety suffer through on a daily basis. Again, we thank the growing number of supporters who have shown both love and acceptance during this difficult time.”
And as requested, their donation wishes came true.
The Daily News reported that Jackson made the $100,000 payout to the Autism Speaks foundation on May 5.
In a statement to the publication, 50 Cent said:
“I want to turn this misunderstanding into an understanding. There are people that are ignored, mistreated and neglected with disabilities that need our support.
“Today, I have made a donation of $100,000 to this worthy cause through Autism Speaks. I am calling on my fellow musicians, actors, entertainers and all others who may not have fully considered this cause to join together to help in any way they can.”
