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Rapper Yo Gotti came to the defense of his girlfriend Angela Simmons over her gun-shaped purse controversy. For the uninitiated, the actress who donned an emerald green dress on Sunday, June 30, 2024, at the 2024 BET Awards, faced backlash for accessorizing the outfit with a green bedazzled clutch bag resembling a gun.
According to Simmon's critics, carrying the purse was "distasteful" considering her former fiancé and father of her son, Sutton Tennyson, was fatally shot in 2018. This prompted a lengthy apology from the reality TV star shared on her Instagram stories.
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However, the Memphis rapper did not think it was a serious blunder. On Tuesday, the same day Simmons shared her apology, Yo Gotti took to his IG stories to quip:
"She just practicing .. (green and red heart emoji) . (green gun emoji, crying laughter emoji) LOL."
As news of the Rake It Up singer's story spread, internet users were quick to react. Addressing the two opposite responses from the couple, one stated:
While many users commended the Memphis rap mogul for defending his partner, others joked he was adding fuel to the fire Angela Simmons was trying to put out. Here are some comments seen under @theshaderoom's post on Instagram:
There were several users who found the apology unnecessary and commented that there are bigger and more pressing issues to focus on, like gun violence, than someone carrying a fake gun handbag.
"I have always exemplified peace, unification, and the resolution of gun violence" - Angela Simmons commits to promoting peace in her apology
On July 2, Angela Simmons issued a lengthy statement addressing the recent criticism of her gun-shaped clutch. She began by stating she thought "it was cute and unique," but it was a "poor decision" on her part to use the accessory. She expressed that she "deeply regret(ed)" the move given her "personal and community experience with gun violence."
"For my entire life, I have always exemplified peace, unification, and the resolution of gun violence in America. I have personally lost my partner, the father of my child, to gun violence, and I have witnessed its devastating impact on my community in Southeast Queens," she added.
In her statement, Angela, daughter of Joseph Ward Simmons, a.k.a. Rev. Run, also noted her work with gun violence activist Erica Ford as well as her own organization that works to reduce it. She acknowledged that the accessory caused "pain and hurt." Offering her "deepest apologies," she added that she did not intend to promote any sort of gun-related death.
"Gun violence is a disease that has taken too many lives, particularly among young people and Black men."
Reiterating it was a "mistake," Angela Simmons pledged to dedicate herself to making peace.
The actress has not publicly reacted to Yo Gotti's Instagram story at the time of writing this article.
