Angela Simmons, who made a controversial fashion statement with a gun-shaped handbag at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday night, has revealed the truth.
After the ceremony, the daughter of Run-DMC’s Reverend Run, 36, took to her Instagram Story to address the backlash she received online over her accessory choice.
“I see a lot of discussion going on about the bag, the handbag, that I had at the awards ceremony,” she said in the video. “I’m not that kind of person, and I never have been that kind of person. I’m not violent.”
Simmons continued, “I’ve been through a lot in my personal life when it comes to gun violence and it’s something that’s very personal to me. I just like the bag and think it’s cool and a fashion trend, and that’s it. I didn’t mean to offend anyone.”
In 2018, Sutton Tennyson, Simmons’ ex-fiancé and the father of her now-7-year-old son, was shot and killed outside his Atlanta home at the age of 37. peopleTennyson’s killer is serving a life sentence.
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She ended her statement with: “I know some people seem a little upset but I mean no ill will. I’m very, very peaceful and I’m sorry if I caused any offense to anyone but that’s just not like me, that’s not the way I do things.”
Entrepreneur and television personality Usher wore a custom emerald green embellished dress by Kaze Atelier to the Los Angeles event, which featured a star-studded cast and crew, where Usher was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her accessory of choice was a sparkly pistol-shaped clutch bag, and in various photos from the ceremony, Simmons can be seen pointing the handbag at photographers like a gun.
BET Awards 2024 controversy includes Usher’s speech being muted
For many people watching Sunday night’s show at home, the sound was muted for much of Usher’s speech as he accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award.
In an emailed statement sent to USA Today on Monday, a BET spokesperson said there was an “audio glitch” during the awards show’s broadcast and that portions of Usher’s speech were “incorrectly muted.”
Watch Usher’s full speech here: “I don’t know, maybe it’s too early for me to receive it?”
“It was an honor to celebrate global icon Usher onstage with our star-studded tribute and have him accept his award with a heartfelt speech,” the statement said. “We are incredibly grateful to Usher for joining us on culture’s biggest night and offer our sincerest apologies.”
Fans can watch Usher’s full speech BET Platform And during the encore at Monday’s BET Awards.
Contributor: Edward Segara