Kyle Richards Staunchly Defends Gwen Stefani's Controversial 'I'm Japanese' Comment After Intense Backlash
Kyle Richards is done with cancel culture.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star staunchly defended Gwen Stefani after she doubled down on her claim she's of Japanese descent when asked about her infamous Harajuku Lovers collection from 2004 — despite the pop star being born to Italian American and Irish American parents.
“Everyone can’t wait to be offended by something,” Richards commented below a Wednesday, January 11, Instagram post regarding the cultural appropriation scandal.
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During a recent interview, Stefani sparked controversy while insisting she was of Japanese heritage. “I said, ‘My God, I’m Japanese and I didn’t know it,’” The Voice alum shockingly told the interviewer, who herself is Asian.
“I am, you know,” Stefani continued adding, she's “a little bit of an Orange County girl, a little bit of a Japanese girl, a little bit of an English girl.”
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Fans were outraged by the comments with one twitter user writing, "Gwen Stefani did not need to, YEARS after her 'japanese' era, then say 'I'm Japanese and I didn't know it.' It's just disrespectful." Another chimed in adding, "Pretending I didn’t read what Gwen Stefani said."
As for the Bravo star, this is not the first time she's gotten into controversy over race. During Season 11 of RHOBH, costar Garcelle Beauvais called Richards out for hurling a micro aggression against her after claiming The Real alum failed to pay $5,000 to a charity.
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“Would you have said it to one of the white women?” Beauvais questioned Richards in a 2021 episode of the reality series. “I feel like it was weaponized toward me being a black woman.”
“Oh, my God! Like, I don’t have any issues with you!” the Halloween actress told her costar before Beauvais explained to her “There’s stereotypes that people think we don’t pay for our rent, that we don’t tip."
Richards, who faced intense backlash for the serious ordeal, later apologized to the actress and made clear “I would never think of that!”
Allure conducted the interview with Stefani.