Miley Cyrus joined a growing chorus of celebrities this week in speaking out against DaBaby’s homophobic remarks ― but she may be the first to take a proactive approach.
In a note posted to Instagram on Wednesday, the pop star urged DaBaby to “check your DMs” and invited the rapper for an open dialogue following last week’s controversy.
“As a proud and loyal member of the LGBTQIA+ community, much of my life has been dedicated to encouraging love, acceptance, and open mindedness,” she wrote.
“It’s easier to cancel someone than to find forgiveness and compassion in ourselves or take the time to change hearts and minds. There’s no more room for division if we want to keep seeing progress! Knowledge is power! I know I still have so much to learn.”
In a caption addressed directly to DaBaby, Cyrus said she “would love to talk and see how we can learn from each other and help be part of making a more just and understanding future!”
She also tagged the Happy Hippie Foundation, an LGBTQ advocacy group she founded in 2014, as well as Greater Than AIDS, which is dedicated to promoting awareness around HIV/AIDS.
DaBaby, whose real name is Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, has spent much of the past week in a fog of controversy after making a series of derogatory statements about women, gay men and those living with HIV/AIDS at the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami at the end of July.
TMZ’s footage of the rapper’s performance caught him urging fans to put their phones up “if you didn’t show up today with HIV/AIDS, or other STDs that’ll make you die in two to three weeks.”
The comments drew swift condemnation from stars like Elton John and Madonna. A number of music festivals, including Chicago’s Lollapalooza and New York City’s Governors Ball, dropped the rapper from their lineups.
Though DaBaby seemed impervious to the fallout at first, he issued a formal apology on his social media platforms on Monday.
“I appreciate the many people who came to me with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education, and resources,” he wrote. “That’s what I needed and it was received.”