Angela Simmons, daughter of Run-D.M.C. founder Joseph Simmons and niece of music executive Russell Simmons, faced significant backlash online after accessorizing with a gun-shaped clutch at the BET Awards on Sunday. The entrepreneur walked the red carpet in a strapless beaded gown by Casze Atelier, completing her look with a bedazzled purse by the brand, which resembled a pistol.
“A gun purse doesn’t ever seem appropriate, especially at the BET Awards, a show dedicated to the Black community, a community that is predominantly affected by gun violence in devastating numbers,” Asia Milia Ware wrote in New York Magazine’s The Cut. The publication shared its story about Simmons’ choice of handbag in an Instagram feed post, and some users responded in agreement. “Tone deaf and embarrassing,” one person commented. “Why did she hold it up like an actual gun too? It’s not OK,” wrote another.
On Tuesday, Simmons took to the social media app to acknowledge the controversy. “I deeply regret that this item, which symbolizes a gun, was inappropriate and insensitive, especially given my personal and community experiences with gun violence,” she explained in an Instagram story. Simmons’ ex-fiancé Sutton Tennyson, with whom she shares a son, was killed in a shooting in 2018.
“I ask for your understanding and forgiveness and hope you can accept my sincere apology,” she continued. “While this incident was a misstep, I will not allow it to define my moral compass or my commitment to promoting peace and ending gun violence.” Casze Atelier also shared their own apology in the comments section. “The gun was never intended to symbolize or represent anything negative; it was simply an innocent accessory added to give an edge,” read their statement. “However, we apologize to anyone who felt offended by it.”
Angela Simmons is speaking out after her gun-shaped clutch at the 2024 BET Awards sparked backlash. The daughter of Run-DMC founder Joseph Simmons, 36, accessorized her emerald beaded Casze Atelier gown with a matching green crystal-covered purse, shaped like a handgun at the awards show on Sunday, June 30. She also appeared to hold the purse as a weapon while she was photographed on the BET Awards carpet.
The accessory immediately sparked criticism online, with some noting that her ex-fiancé Sutton Tennyson, with whom she shares son Sutton Joseph, was killed due to gun violence. This prompted the businesswoman to post an apology to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, July 2, sharing that she “deeply regretted” the choice to bring the accessory to the award show and reiterating that she does not in any way condone gun violence.
“When I chose the purse, I believed it was cute and unique, and I made a poor decision in using it as an accessory to amplify my beauty,” she wrote. “I deeply regret that this item which symbolizes a gun, was inappropriate and insensitive, especially given my personal and community experiences with gun violence.” Angela’s ex Tennyson was fatally shot 13 times outside his home in Atlanta in 2018, after an argument with another man allegedly escalated. He was found dead when police arrived due to the injuries he sustained from the gunshot wounds.
She went on to say that she understood “the pain and the hurt” her decision “caused,” especially to those who have been “directly impacted by gun violence,” as she had also experienced that and seen its impact on her own community in “Southeast Queens.” She also noted that she would still work to “reduce gun violence” through her foundation, Angela’s Angels, and shared that “gun violence is a disease that has taken too many lives.”
“By carrying this purse, I did not intend to promote gun violence in any way,” she said in her statement. “It was a mistake that does not define who I am or my commitment to ending gun violence.” “I ask for your understanding and forgiveness and hope you can accept my sincere apology,” she continued. “While this incident was a misstep, I will not allow it to define my moral compass or my commitment to promoting peace and ending gun violence.”
Angela Simmons is apologizing for her accessory at the 2024 BET Awards, where she sported a bedazzled gun-shaped purse. Following the backlash on social media, the 36-year-old entrepreneur and TV personality took to Instagram to address the controversy sparked by her fashion statement. “I want to address the recent incident involving the green purse I carried at the BET Awards,” Simmons wrote Monday on her Instagram story. “When I chose the purse, I believed it was cute and unique and I made a poor decision in using it as an accessory to amplify my beauty.”
She expressed her regret for the insensitivity of carrying an item that symbolizes a gun, particularly in light of her personal and community experiences with gun violence. Her former fiancé Sutton Tennyson, with whom she had a child in 2016, was killed in a shooting in 2018. Simmons said she “understands the pain and hurt this has caused.” Last week, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a national health crisis. Simmons acknowledged the issue surrounding gun violence in her apology, noting how it has affected many lives including her own. “Gun violence is a disease that has taken too many lives, particularly among young people and Black men,” said Simmons, known for her role in the reality show “Run’s House.” “By carrying this purse, I did not intend to promote gun violence in any way. It was a mistake that does not define who I am or my commitment to ending gun violence.”
On Sunday night, the backlash on social media had been swift. Some took to X, formerly Twitter, to chime in. “So let me get this straight: Angela Simmons BD [baby daddy] was murdered as a result of gun violence… Angela’s boyfriend Yo Gotti’s brother was recently murdered as a result of gun violence… Young Dolph’s murder trial is actively ongoing — and Angela thought it was a good idea to have a bedazzled gun purse for the BET Awards,” one person tweeted. “I LOVE #AngelaSimmons BUT THIS Right Here Is SICK AND SAD…,” another tweeted. “I understand it’s a purse but come on it’s the red carpet you did that on purpose ….she got too much money to be even carrying that thing I don’t understand where she was getting at honestly,” a third person tweeted.
Simmons notably starred alongside her family in the reality show “Run’s House.” The show, which ran 2005-2009, followed RUN-DMC member-turned-minister Joseph Simmons, “Rev. Run,” and his wife as they raised their five kids, including Angela. Simmons concluded her statement with a pledge to continue advocating for peace and supporting families affected by gun violence.
Source: New York Magazine’s The Cut, PEOPLE
