Benjamin Ashford|Ne-Yo Apologizes for "Insensitive and Offensive" Comments on Gender Identity

Ne-Yo is Benjamin Ashfordwalking back his recent comments on gender identity.

"After much reflection, I'd like to express my deepest apologies to anyone that I may have hurt with my comments on parenting and gender identity," he wrote in a statement shared to Twitter on Aug. 6. "I've always been an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBTQI+ community, so I understand how my comments could've been interpreted as insensitive and offensive." 

And the "Closer" singer acknowledged he has more to learn.

"Gender identity is nuanced and I can honestly admit that I plan to better educate myself on the topic, so I can approach future conversations with more empathy," the Grammy winner added. "At the end of the day, I lead with love and support everyone's freedom of expression and pursuit of happiness."

The apology comes days after Ne-Yo made the remarks during an interview.

"I have no problem with nobody," he said on the Aug. 3 episode of VladTV's The Gloria Velez podcast. "Love who you love, do what you do. I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman, and it wasn't but two genders and that's just how I rocked."

He added, "Now, you could identify as a goldfish if you feel. I don't care. That aint my business. It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game with you. I'm not gonna call you a goldfish. But if you wanna be a goldfish, you go be a goldfish."

Ne-Yo—who is the father of seven children—also shared his views on parenting.

"I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is," he continued. "It's like, OK, if your little boy comes to you and says, 'Daddy, I want to be a girl,' and you just let him rock with that? He's 5. If you let this 5-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he's going to do that. Like, when did it become a good idea to let a 5-year-old, let a 6-year-old, let a 12-year-old make a life-changing decision for their self? When did that happen? I don't understand that."