Zendaya accepts Giuliana Rancic's apology for dreadlocks comment

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Wednesday, February 25, 2015
(AP)
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After "Fashion Police" host Giuliana Rancic said that Zendaya's hair at the Oscars looked like it "smells like patchouli oil," the 18-year-old actress issued a response that went viral. She said the comment was an offensive stereotype.

Rancic initially issued an apology in a tweet, but she later elaborated in a video.

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"As you know, 'Fashion Police' is a show that pokes fun at celebrities, in good spirit," Rancic said of the E! channel talk show, which was fronted for more than a decade by the late comedian Joan Rivers.

Her defense stopped, there, though, and Rancic's apology then turned to the fallout after what she said about Zendaya.

"I didn't intend to hurt anybody. But I have learned it is not my intent that matters," she said. "It's the result."

Wednesday afternoon, Zendaya posted a response to Twitter, accepting Rancic's apology and saying that she is "glad it was a learning experience for you and for the network." She also encouraged supporters to "find it in their hearts to accept her apology as well."

Rancic called the ordeal a learning experience, saying she would work to keep from perpetuating stereotypes in the future.

Most social media users applauded her apology, calling it well-crafted and sincere. Some, however, questioned whether she spoke her own words and whether she meant them.

When Rancic made her initial comments on the show, a voice can be heard adding "or weed" about the apparent smell of Zendaya's hair. That comment was initially attributed to co-host Kelly Osbourne. Osbourne has spoken out on Twitter, saying she did not make the comment and is considering leaving the show because of Rancic's comments.

Neither Zendaya nor Osbourne has made a public comment about the apology video.