TikTok star Babyface.s, also known as Swavy, was shot dead aged 19 according to his family (Picture:@babyface.s/Tiktok/@oneway.swavy/Instagram)
The family of TikTok star Swavy have asked called for Wendy Williams to apologise for her comments about him on her programme.
The TV star joked about the 19-year-old, who was killed in a ‘senseless act of gun violence’ according to his family, last week poking fun at his follower count online.
Williams addressed the teenager’s death on her programme but began by saying: ‘I have no idea who this person is, neither does one person in this building.
‘Do you know who Swavy is? Clap. Clap if you know who Swavy is,’ she told the audience, before asking her crew.
‘Well, he’s a TikTok star. He’s got more followers than me – 2.5million!’ the 56-year-old said.
Williams was then told she has more followers on Instagram than Swavy, real name Matima Miller.
‘Well, as my son Kevin would say – no one uses Instagram anymore. And, as far as TikTok, I don’t use that. I don’t know what it is, I don’t wanna be involved,’ she joked.
‘So here he is,’ she added. ‘He’s 19 and he was murdered Monday morning.’
The moment drew fierce backlash online from viewers with some calling for her programme to be axed.
In a new interview with TMZ, the internet star’s mum and older brother Chanell Clark and Rahkim Clark addressed Williams’ remarks.
Rahkim said: ‘This is not just any other story, this is not a highlight, this is not a hot topic, this is reality. So for her to speak on the events surrounding my brother’s death…before reaching out to our family. She didn’t send condolences, she didn’t even report the right story.’
He added that he felt she had ‘painted him as a thug’.
‘That wasn’t the stype of person that he was. As Black woman and as a Black mother you didn’t have any empathy at all for my family,’ Rahkim shared.
Chanell said: ‘I had to lay there with my son and I asked God, why did you let me see that? And I had to think about that, he wouldn’t want anyone else to be down there with him but his mum. I had to see my son down there shot up. To see something like that as a mother, it literally messes you up.’
Speaking of Wendy’s comments she went on: ‘How as a mother do you put somebody’s child out there like that? Nobody knew him like that.
‘He was popular online and he was gonna spread his wings by himself. My son shouldn’t have been shot down in the streets for somebody to recognise who he is.
‘I’m so pissed because you did him like that. I’m looking for an apology, I do want an apology.’
Tributes have poured in for the late star, with a fundraiser also being set up to cover his funeral costs.
Credit: Original article published here.You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.