The teenage daughter of South Carolina news anchor Amy Wood and magistrate judge Mike Wood issued a public apology after she was caught on video spewing racist and homophobic comments in front of a group of teenagers at a party.
Two now-deleted videos posted by the Instagram account SauceCarolina sparked outrage online.
One of the videos showed a seemingly intoxicated young woman–an aspiring singer and songwriter from Spartanburg, South Carolina–responding to a request to name her "favorite racial slurs."
She replied with racial epithets referring to Asians and the LGBTQ+ community.
She also likened Black people to "monkeys" and "Curious George."
The younger Wood said:
"All Black people look like monkeys."
"They literally look like they should grow ears and have a tail."
In another deleted video, Wood's friends listened to her make xenophobic statements like:
“Kick Mexicans and Middle Easterns out, all they do is wanna kill people.”
"Africans, kill them—literally, we should blow up the whole continent of Africa.”
In response to someone in the room asking her to comment on her thoughts on Germans, she said:
“Y’all are Nazis, but since y’all hate gay people and Black people, I support.”
She added:
"Honestly, Hitler is a pretty quality man."
"And he went out the right way by killing himself. I feel like I'd rather kill myself than be killed by a firing squad."
She also said her favorite "n-word" was the n-word, which prompted the whole room to erupt ino fits of laughter.
One of the videos was shared on Twitter.
WARNING: racist and anti-LGBTQ+ language
As many predicted, Wood posted an apology video—seen below—saying:
"There is absolutely no excuse for anything that came out of my mouth and I can only imagine the pain the people felt when watching those videos."
Wood claimed her words were not a reflection of her character or how she was raised.
She said she understood the negative impact hate speech has on the Black, Hispanic, Jewish, Asian, Middle Eastern and LGBTQ+ communities she denigrated.
Wood said:
"It doesn't change the impact of my words and the hurt that people are feeling."
"I want to take this opportunity to learn and grow and become a better person."
"I've met with several leaders in the communities that I offended."
"And I've had several people reach out to mentor me."
"I hope with their guidance and my self-accountability that I will become more educated and come out on the other side as a better human being."
Wood's mother Amy Wood apologized on Facebook for the "horrific, disgusting, and vile things" her daughter said.
Amy Wood, WSPA news anchor, wrote:
"We know the words spoken have caused terrible pain and we are heartbroken over this, since we have never tolerated racism or hate in any fashion."
"We stand completely opposed to any behavior that diminishes anyone. I’ve been a people person my whole life and I’ve raised my children to love everyone. There are no excuses for anything on that tape."
The mom claimed her daughter "has been a champion for rights and equality at her school."
She also suggested the party at someone else's home provided an opportunity for her daughter’s "so-called friends" to bait the teen and "say things that are in direct conflict with the way she has led her life."
Wood maintained:
"This is not [her] heart and this is not our heart."
"We will be working to learn from this and grow even stronger in our beliefs of equality and inclusion."
"To anyone who has been hurt, we offer our sincerest apology and ask for your forgiveness."
Wood is a senior at Oakbrook Preparatory School in Spartanburg–a private Christian academy.
When a student informed the school about the incident, Oakbrook responded:
“While these statements were made off-campus in a non-school related event, we find these comments and the behavior of those involved offensive and extremely disappointing."
"As advocates for all God’s people, we strive to create a community that is respectful and inclusive based on Biblical principle and appreciates the richness of different cultures and viewpoints.”
They added:
"Our school leadership is prayerfully considering actions that we can take to reinforce our core values, enable our students and staff to learn from this experience, and promote a caring environment where everyone in our community feels respected and valued."
Activist Bruce Wilson—of Black Lives Matter and Fighting Injustice Together—said he spoke to parents Amy and Mike Wood who were very apologetic.
Wilson believes they should not be held accountable for their daughter's hurtful and racist behavior.
However, he added:
"There needs to be consequences."
"I believe this incident will probably affect her a lot in the future and affect her now."
"And it’s painful to hear that language, especially for Black people, Jewish people, and gay people."
In her apology video, Wood said she is no longer attending school in person and will not be allowed to walk at graduation. She added there will be "several more consequences to come."
Wood—who has a single on Spotify called "You Ain't My Boo"—has deleted her Twitter and Instagram accounts where she had close to 30,000 followers.
The SauceCarolina Instagram account—which no longer has the videos on its page—did not reveal the initial source or how they obtained the videos.
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