Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson has released a statement clarifying and apologizing for comments he made on MuchMusic last week. While the group visited the network's Toronto studio in the wake of the terrorist attacks against the United States, Richardson said, "I just think [the United States] are a little bit of an arrogant nation, and maybe this is a little bit of a humbling experience. It raises questions in my mind, what has our government done to provoke this action, that we don't know about?"

This week, after by beginning with thanks to fans for the "love and support you've shown Danny Lee [a BSB stage crew member who was killed on one of the hijacked flights] and our fellow Americans who suffered a devastating tragedy in the last week," Richardson explained his comments. "Firstly, I would like to apologize if my comments offended anyone," he said. "It was a hard time for everyone, and I let my emotions get the better of me at that moment. My thoughts were incomplete, and I didn't intend for them to come across as insensitive. I know how far-reaching this event is and almost all of us know someone who was directly affected by these disasters. Nobody, nobody, will walk away from this experience unchanged."

As for using the word "arrogant" in his comments, Richardson said, "What I meant is that as a world superpower, I think we've become overconfident and taken our opportunities and freedom for granted. I feel like we've taken on the attitude that we, as a country, are untouchable. How did we get that way?"

"My dad was a serviceman in the U.S. Army," Richardson continued, "and I was enlisted in the Air Force before joining the Backstreet Boys, and so it hurts me that people would think I would betray the American values that were taught to me by my father . . . I pray that God walks with our leaders and our allies so they make the right decisions for our safety, our future for our world."

CHRISTINA SARACENO
(September 21, 2001)