Matilda and Art Green have both apologised. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
Matilda and Art Green have both apologised. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
Bachelor star and influencer Matilda Green has returned to social media to issue a full apology for racist "jokes" she made about husband Art Green's use of brownface and to ask critics to leave her family alone after she says they were targeted with "awful" abuse.
Green posted the apologyto Instagram after racist comments made by the couple resurfaced on social media.
"It wasn't full blackface and it was also brown body," Matilda said, while Art added: "Actually, technically it was Indian, so would that be yellow face?"
The pair faced a backlash after the 2015 incident, which saw Matilda comment "Best night with this chocolate-covered treat" on a photo of the smiling couple.
Matilda Green described Art Green as her "chocolate-covered treat" after the 2015 party. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
Urging her followers to read an online article on 'Being Antiracist', Green wrote: "I am so deeply sorry for any hurt that was caused to anyone by our actions in our interview with Anika Moa. The last thing I would ever want is for someone to be hurt by something I have said or done.
"I understand it is worth taking the time to put together the right words so nothing is missed and the intent is shown.
"Racism is never OK, in any form. I intend to keep learning and I hope we all keep moving in the right direction," she added.
"To reiterate: We shouldn't have done what we did, we shouldn't have said what we said. We were ignorant and coming from a place of privilege and we get that now.
"If we were in the same circumstances today, I can assure you we would behave very differently."
Writing that she initially intended on disabling comments on her post, Green revealed that her family had received "quite awful" abuse in the wake of the video's re-emergence earlier this week."
"However I am a grown woman and I know when I've made a mistake and I am committed to listening and learning," she wrote, adding that she "will not tolerate any abuse towards my family or anyone else".
The Herald has contacted Green for comment on this story.
This is the second time this year that Matilda Green has been criticised for a lack of racial sensitivity.
The influencer apologised in June after she was involved in a PR event involving high-profile New Zealand influencers that was widely criticised.
