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Alix Earle has issued an apology after racist posts she made when she was 13 resurfaced online.
The 23-year-old influencer faced backlash earlier this month after old posts she made on the Q&A site ASKfm, in which she used a racial slur, circulated online. Earle, who has 7.1 million followers on TikTok, took to social media on Aug. 27 to share that she was “deeply sorry” for her past actions.
“A couple of weeks ago, screenshots surfaced from my old ask.fm account showing me using a slur in the summer of 2014,” Earle began in his lengthy statement. “I take responsibility and want to make it clear that I was 13 years old and did not understand the deeply offensive meaning behind that word. That is no excuse for using that word in any context or at any age. That is absolutely not the way I speak or what I stand for.”
He continued: “I am deeply sorry that my words have hurt many people and have led people to believe that I am prejudiced. I promise you that could not be further from the truth.”
“My platform has always been about positivity, entertainment and uplifting others, and will continue to do so. I am truly sorry if I offended those who did,” Earle said.
Screenshots of the offensive posts were initially shared on Reddit two years ago, but resurfaced in light of a similar apology from fellow influencer Brooke Schofield for her own past racist comments. In her statement, Earle explained that she was advised not to publicly address the issue, but accepted responsibility for not speaking out about it until now.
“I regret how I handled this situation, I allowed too many people to talk me out of saying something for too long. I wasn’t sure how to handle it and unfortunately the advice I was given, while well-intentioned, was misguided,” she said. “There’s no one to blame but myself for not standing my ground and listening to my gut and speaking up right away.”
As resurfaced ASKfm posts gained traction online, Do we know them? Podcast hosts Jessi Smiles and Lily Marston said they were contacted by Earle's legal team after the screenshots appeared on a subreddit dedicated to the podcast.
“His lawyer contacted us and told us that we had violated his copyright,” Smiles said during the podcast episode, which aired on August 12. “People posted screenshots of [her racist posts] on our subreddit, and their lawyer said they have a trademark for it.”
Smiles clarified that she and Marston have no affiliation with the subreddit, saying, “We don't moderate it, we don't have access to it.”
Responding to claims that Earle had registered his offensive posts on ASKfm to prevent them from being shared, the TikTok star called the accusations “absolutely ridiculous and false.”
“In the absence of my intervention, my silence allowed others to fill the void with rumors that are simply not true,” she wrote. “One rumor in particular is that I attempted to trademark my old posts, which is absolutely ridiculous and false. Another is that a brand announced they would no longer work with me, despite the fact that we have never had any discussions with them about a partnership in any capacity.”
Earle concluded his statement: “Regardless of what is being said online, I wanted to come here to address the facts and, most importantly, apologize.”
The influencer, who grew up in New Jersey and graduated from the University of Miami in 2023, rose to TikTok stardom in 2022 for her viral “Get Ready With Me” videos. Earle is currently in a relationship with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios. The couple made headlines for their relationship last year after the 28-year-old NFL star’s ex-girlfriend Sophia Culpo claimed he cheated on her with Earle.
Earle later confirmed that Berrios and Culpo were “not together” when they began dating.
