Michael Clifford, the lead guitarist of Australian pop/rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, has issued an apology after disgusting sexist and homophobic tweets of his resurfaced.
As well all know by now… social media doesn’t forget. And the 24-year-old’s past behavior is a big example of that. A Twitter thread exposing him was created one week ago today that portray Michael in a super negative light.
his sexist tweets! at first i thought these were fake but some time around last month i looked them up. they were still up, so i tweeted about them, and he deleted them. again, without a word. no apology, no nothing. pic.twitter.com/ihg7rHiH5h
— balls (@esnyz) June 10, 2020
“I am so bad at making sandwiches, I would be a terrible woman,” a September 2012 tweet read. He also encouraged someone to “get a woman brah” after they called themselves “hopeless” in the kitchen.
Then there was the rampant usage of the “f” word on his Twitter account, many of which were directed at his fellow bandmate Luke Hemmings. He allegedly responded to someone’s DM’s about this specific matter. “Thank you. Geez I’ve grown up a lot since then and apologized,” he apparently said. “Let me know if you find anything else stupid that I’ve done lol.”
He directly addressed his past behavior in a tweet posted on Saturday, June 13. “I am so sorry for hurting anyone. it was never my intention. I was so naive and I am embarrassed and I am beyond sorry. I will continue to be better and I will continue to change. I never want to hurt anyone again.”
“I am a different person now with a much better understanding of the world,” he wrote in a separate tweet. “Some people have access to a digital megaphone a bit earlier than they should, unfortunately, I was one of them.”
Michael also denied allegations of sexual assault after 5SOS opened for One Direction seven years ago. The person, who was 14 at the time, claimed that he came into the crowd after their set and “violated my safety and privacy” by inappropriately touching them.
“Holy s**t. i am heartbroken to read these things that are being said – they are just BEYOND untrue,” he alleged on Twitter. “i was never allowed in the crowd i only ever watched at front of house – and i would’ve never EVER done that. i wouldn’t NEVER do anything like that. i’m so f***ing upset.”
Other notable names in the industry have been called out over words they said in the past. The backlash against comedian Kevin Hart was super swift right after he was chosen to host the 2019 Academy Awards. He backed out only days after that decision was announced due to several tweets that were dug up from a decade ago that many people deemed as homophobic.