Hannah Berner has spoken out about the backlash she’s faced for her interview with Megan Thee Stallion at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party.
The 33-year-old comedian hosted the annual after-party red carpet with reality star Paige DeSorbo on Sunday, where she told the rapper her music makes her “want to fight someone.”
Berner posted a statement on her Instagram Story on Thursday, admitting her choice of words was “careless.”
“Interviewing Megan Thee Stallion was a dream of mine. I love her music, and it’s my go to whenever I need to boost my confidence before a show,” she wrote. “Looking back at the interview, I wish I used any other word except ‘fight’ to describe how her songs impact me.
“It was a careless choice of words and though there was no ill intent, I recognize and acknowledge that what I said has a deeper meaning and I am so sorry Megan,” Berner concluded. “I appreciate everyone who brought this to my attention.”
Berner’s interview had been called “egregious” by fans on Reddit’s Pop Culture group, with some even accusing the comedian of committing racial microaggressions.
“Your music has literally made me, like, when I want to fight someone, I listen to your music,” the comedian told the rapper on Sunday.
Megan subtly attempted to rebut her comment, saying: “You want to throw that fighting s*** out the window. You want to get cute and be a bad b****.”
Berner agreed, but said “when people are talking s***,” she turns on Megan’s music. She then expressed how much she admires the “Wanna Be” singer, and asked her how she gets up and “inspires people.”
“I just look in the mirror and I’ll be like, ‘Damn, you that girl, right? Yeah, you are that girl. So go outside and act like you that girl,” Megan responded. “And then that’s how I tackle my day.”
On Reddit, fans seethed over Berner’s remarks.
“Omg this is so egregious. Is she mixing her up with someone else completely ??? I’m not sure if that’s better or worse,” one wrote. “I support ‘new media’ and influencers ‘breaking through’ but they are often just not the right choice and can’t even pretend to be.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard any Megan song about fighting in any way, this is just microaggressive at the very least and I know Hannah doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with what she said,” another wrote.
A third person on X/Twitter added: “Hannah Berner is so obnoxious omg. Why would she say Meg’s music makes her want to fight??? Is she serious????”
