Dominic Sherwood appeared in his “Shadowhunters” co-star Matt Daddario’s Facebook Live broadcast on Tuesday, and stirred up a hornet’s nest of controversy when he repeatedly used a gay slur that rhymes with “rag.”
Sherwood instantly took heat in the Twitterverse for his homophobic language, with numerous Twitter users taking him to task in tweets such as these:
to think that an actor who works on a show with SUCH important LGBT representation would even think to much less actually use such a horrible slur in casual conversation is absolutely revolting @ShadowhuntersTV @DomSherwood1 please address this
— ana
(@nastjakoh) November 28, 2017
hey @DomSherwood1, just wanted to let you know that I'm sad to hear you using words like that. it's 2017 man & I don't think I have to explain to you at length why reproducing hurtful stereotypes-even if you don't mean it – sucks.
please scratch it from your active vocabulary.— I choose violins
(@jeeznametaken) November 28, 2017
dominic sherwood said that so casually you know it wasn’t the first time pic.twitter.com/rj4PkizApR
— [ haley ]
(@yerawizardhaley) November 28, 2017
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Following the outrage, a chastened Sherwood took to Instagram to issue an apology via video.
“I’m speaking to all of you today to hold myself accountable and not to make any excuses in any way,” says Sherwood in the video, in which Daddario stands alongside him. “The way I behaved today was disgusting and horrible.”
He added: “I think so many problematic phrases go unchallenged and they perpetrate negativity and hate and intolerance and today I was apart of that… I just want to say that I am deeply sorry to all of you and all of my cast mates and I’m sorry for disappointing you.”