The daughter of Run DMC's Rev. Run takes to social media to address the intense backlash she received for accessorizing her BET Awards outfit with a gun-shaped clutch, explaining her intentions behind the much-criticized fashion choice.
- July 2, 2024
AceShowbiz - After making a controversial fashion statement at the 2024 BET Awards with a gun-shaped purse, Angela Simmons has responded to the online backlash. The 36-year-old daughter of Run DMC's Rev. Run took to her Instagram Story to explain her choice.
"So I see a lot of conversation around the bag, the purse I wore to the awards," she said in a video. "I'm not violent. I've obviously been through a lot in my personal life when it comes to gun violence, and it's very personal to me. But I just liked the bag and thought it was cool and thought it was a fashion moment, and that was it. I didn't have any intentions of ruffling anyone's feathers."
Simmons' ex-fiance Sutton Tennyson was fatally shot outside his Atlanta home in 2018. The father of her now 7-year-old son was 37 at the time of his death. According to PEOPLE, Tennyson's killer is serving life in prison.
Simmons continued, "It seems a couple of people are a little upset, but I don't mean no harm. I'm super, super peaceful. I'm sorry if it bothered anyone. But that's just not me, just not how I am."
At the Los Angeles event, Simmons wore a custom emerald green embellished dress by Casze Atelier and carried a matching bedazzled pistol-shaped clutch. In various pictures from the awards show, she can be seen pointing the purse at photographers as if it were a gun.
Despite her apology, some critics remained unimpressed. "Use your brain! You are a public figure with a son who father died by gun violence. We are not going to give you permission to act oblivious to this DO BETTER," one person commented on Instagram.
