Daymond John, one of the stars on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” issued an apology on April 25 for praising Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in a since-deleted tweet. On April 22, John wrote that Farrakhan’s speech during the funeral for the late rapper DMX was “powerful” and that Farrakhan’s “deep understanding of the Bible and respect for other people’s religions was truly inspiring.”
Several Twitter users responded to John and pointed to Farrakhan’s history of anti-Semitic comments. In response, John tweeted that his “comments on Minister Farrakhan were only related to what I had just witnessed, unbeknownst to his prior stances. As someone who was fortunate enough to have a step dad of Jewish faith, I do not condone and never would any anti-Semitic, prejudice or any remarks of hatred.” He added that he deleted the tweet “to avoid further pain and confusion to anyone who has felt hurt in the past by any negative comment of his.”
— Daymond John (@TheSharkDaymond) April 26, 2021
Users replied to John with gratitude for his apology. “Thank you for acknowledging this, apologizing and deleting it!” Stop Antisemitism tweeted.
Thank you for acknowledging this, apologizing and deleting it! ❤️
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) April 26, 2021
“Thank you for this, and please don’t be swayed by the pro-Farrakhan bullies who turn a blind eye to his antisemitism, misogynism, and homophobia,” writer and researcher Karys Rhea similarly tweeted to John.
Thank you for this, and please don’t be swayed by the pro-Farrakhan bullies who turn a blind eye to his antisemitism, misogynism, and homophobia . For more info: https://t.co/6QFCHtF5k1
— Karys Rhea (@RheaKarys) April 26, 2021
During his speech at the funeral, Farrakhan said that DMX had a positive impact worldwide because he was “genuine.” DMX, whose real name was Earl Simmons, died from a heart attack on April 9.
