Angela Simmons issued an apology for wearing a green bedazzled purse shaped like a gun to the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday.
“I want to address the recent incident involving the green purse I carried at the BET Awards. When I chose the purse, I believed it was cute and unique and I made a poor decision in using it as an accessory to amplify my beauty,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories on Monday.
“I deeply regret that this item, which symbolizes a gun, was inappropriate and insensitive, especially given my personal and community experiences with gun violence,” she continued.
In one photo taking during the event, Simmons pointed the purse at the camera while posing with her rapper boyfriend Yo Gotti, a former gangbanger.
Both Simmons and Yo Gotti have lost loved ones to gun violence.
Simmons, 36, said she understands the “pain and hurt” she caused people who are “directly impacted by gun violence.”
The fashion designer said she strives to live her life exemplifying “peace, unification, and the resolution of gun violence in America,” and she saw the “devastating impact” firsthand when her ex-boyfriend, Sutton Tennyson, Jr., was killed in Atlanta.
“Gun violence is a disease that has taken too many lives, particularly among young people and Black men. By carrying this purse, I did not intend to promote gun violence in any way. It was a mistake that does not define who I am or my commitment to ending gun violence. To anyone who was hurt or offended by my actions, I offer my deepest apologies.”
The mom-of-one said she will continue to dedicate herself to “making peace a reality for millions of children and families across America.”
