T.I. Apologizes For Comments About Daughter Deyjah Harris’s Virginity: I Hold Myself Accountable, I Was Wrong [WATCH]

T.I., Deyjah Harris

T.I. Apologizes For Comments About Daughter Deyjah Harris’s Virginity: I Hold Myself Accountable, I Was Wrong [WATCH]

Update #2 (June 24th): It looks like T.I. has come around after airing the details of his then 18-year-old daughter Deyjah Harris’s sex life last year. He said during a podcast that quickly went viral, that he attends OB-GYN appointments with Deyjah Harris annually, and has the doctor check her hymen to make sure she’s still a virgin.

The podcast dropped during the Harris family’s trip to Mexico that aired on VH1’s “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle.” It created awkward moments between Deyjah Harris and T.I. and the two had not yet spoken about it in the season finale that aired Monday (June 22nd). Still, during a cast dinner, Deyjah is heard singing about getting drunk with her sister Zonnique and friend Reginae Carter (the legal drinking in Mexico is 18). T.I. calls Deyjah down to his end of the table and tells her,

“Engage in 18-year-old engagements, not 21 and up engagements. It’s younger kids out here watching you. Be responsible.”

Deyjah later told cameras she thought he was going to use the moment to “finally talk to me about everything.” Instead, when they arrived back in Atlanta, they still hadn’t talked and Deyjah went back to school. T.I. reached out to her but after he was unsuccessful, he called on her mom, Ms. Niko, to appear on his podcast to speak on Deyjah Harris’s behalf. While T.I. insisted he was joking during the infamous podcast, Ms. Niko said,

“You gave information that was like… come on man, that sh*t sounds wild… You probably shouldn’t have made the joke at all.”

T.I. responded,

“I receive that… You can be more informed, but being old-fashioned doesn’t necessarily make you bad people.”

After Ms. Niko pointed out that all he has to do is ask Deyjah about her sex life, instead of taking her to the doctor to check her hymen, which isn’t always a correct method to show if a female is a virgin, T.I. appeared to come around. He said,

“I’m beginning to understand. I didn’t know as much as I thought I did… I think that due to my own ignorance of certain issues, for my daughter, I understand now that I don’t understand. Guess what? I’m gonna step back.”

Ms. Niko added,

“She feels as though there’s no trust in what she said. It’s a bit misogynistic, because do you do the same for your son? You would never do that.”

T.I. then said during a confessional interview,

“I think all of these things and double standards when it comes to me being a dad, I was being educated at that moment. And also, I realize how inappropriate the conversation about Deyjah on the podcast may have been. I hold myself accountable, full responsibility. I was wrong.”

He added,

“This has been a teachable moment. This is the first time my baby girl made me feel like I was in trouble.”

He also said,

“I apologize to Deyjah. You know I love you. You know I’ve always gone above and beyond to do everything and anything possible to make you happy and keep you protected. However, I must now acknowledge the fact that you’ve now become a young lady. I understand that. Some lessons are harder than others, but the important thing is – make sure you get the lesson.”

Original Story: 2019 was a rocky year for the Harris household. On a recent episode of VH1’s “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle,” T.I.‘s 18-year-old daughter, Deyjah Harris, broke down in tears at the news of widespread backlash against her father – rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris.

Last fall, during an appearance on the Ladies Like Us Podcast, T.I. said this about taking Deyjah to the gynecologist to ensure her virginity:

“…We have yearly trips to the gynecologist to check her hymen…I go with her. So let me tell you, this one time we go, I think this might have been after her 16th birthday… and this is what we do. Right after the birthday we celebrate, usually like the day after the party, she’s enjoying her gifts, I put a sticky note on the door ‘Gyno tomorrow 9:30.’

So we’ll go and sit down and the doctor will come and talk. And the doctor is maintaining a high level of professionalism. ‘Well you know sir, in order to share information…’ I say ‘Deyjah they want you to sign this so we can share information. Is there anything you wouldn’t want me to know? Okay. See doc, ain’t no problem.’”

T.I.

But Deyjah Harris has now made her feelings about her father’s comments clear. She said in a teaser for the upcoming episode of the VH1 reality show:

“So my dad went on a podcast and told the world about my virginity. I’m still pretty upset with him about it. He had no right to put my business out there.”

Deyjah Harris

“I’m a little embarrassed. I’m just trying to hide from the world…I wish he wouldn’t have said it for everyone to hear.”

T.I.'s Daughter Deyjah Says "He Had No Right To Put My Business Out There" pic.twitter.com/CMcE3um7gg

— theJasmineBRAND (@thejasminebrand) June 23, 2020

When T.I.’s mom suggested she talk with the rapper “one-on-one,” Deyjah Harris said she needed time.

“Maybe not right now because I’m trying to figure out what it is that I feel specifically… Since the news broke, my dad and I haven’t spoken. I just feel like he should be reaching out to me about all of this.”

She said her dad putting her sex life on blast

“made me a little target.”

She went on to open up about the unwanted attention she received online.

“Some people were nice, but the people that were mean, they were just saying stupid stuff. Somebody even put my face on olive oil, cause it’s virgin olive oil… like, stupid stuff. Other stuff was just comments from grown men.”

What do you think about Deyjah Harris’s reaction? Let us know in the comments.