Kid Rock is taking some heat from the Special Olympics.
The singer ignited a controversy with the group last Friday during a television interview. He said he was going to be a “r**ard” for Halloween.
Understandably, the offensive word to those with a disability did not go over very well with the Special Olympics. Kid Rock used the word while putting on a mask. He has long been anti-mask, even singing about it in his 2022 song, We The People.
Kid Rock was called out for using the R-word
Kid Rock often toes the line with his words and rarely operates with a filter. His use of the R-word is a step too far for many people.
The Special Olympics penned an open letter to the musical superstar in response to his interview. “The R-Word deeply demeans and harms people with intellectual disabilities,” says the company’s Chief Inspiration Officer, Loretta Claiborne. “Growing up, I heard that word used against me again and again. It hurt deeply then, and it still hurts today,” she adds.
The group is pleading with him to acknowledge the hurt he caused by using the R-word. The letter asks him to stand with them, rejecting that word and the prejudice it represents.
Words like the one Kid Rock used in his interview have long been painful for those with intellectual disabilities. The word dehumanizes and belittles people with disabilities. The letter invited the musician to speak with them publicly about the issue and their movement for inclusion and respect.
The Spread the Word campaign, created by the Special Olympics, aims to replace the R-word with one far more powerful: respect.
Kid Rock may be headlining a counterprogram to Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. Another strange choice…
TELL US – SHOULD KID ROCK APOLOGIZE FOR SAYING THE R-WORD ON TELEVISION?
