It's been a humbling few days for American singer and Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas, who apologised after making a racist joke that many took to be about Aboriginal Australians at a concert.
Thomas was playing at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena in Australia as part of his "The Great Unknown World Tour" on Saturday, when in between songs he conversed with the audience.
"When you get on the plane on the way here, you start drinking," Thomas told the crowd in a video released by TMZ. "And then I drink until I think I'm Australian."
"And then I keep drinking until I think I'm a black Australian," Thomas added, eliciting a mix of boos and reluctant laughter from the crowd. Thomas soon received plenty of heat for his remarks.
Imagine drinking so much you actually become Rob Thomas.— Lindsay McDowens (@doctormcdougall) February 21, 2016
Bloody hell, Rob Thomas. You don't have to study Australian racism to know that that 'joke' was racist.— Joshy20(1)6 (@Joshy206) February 21, 2016
Thomas took to Facebook Sunday to apologise for his joke, saying "he cried in his room" when he found out what he said was racist.
"First, please understand that I did not intend to make a joke ABOUT race," Thomas said, elaborating that he didn't have an understanding of the connection between Indigenous Australians and drinking.
"Australia has been so good to me for so long that I'm embarrassed I don’t know more about the history and the culture," Thomas said, promising to rectify his lack of awareness while he is on tour in Australia until March 6.
His full statement is below:
