Just before that, in 2020, Bachelor Nation’s Hannah Brown came under fire, and rightfully so, for saying the N-word while singing DaBaby‘s “Rockstar.” Brown later stated she never meant to offend anyone and apologized, saying, “I am terribly sorry and know that whether in public or private, this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better.”
And while many people quickly forgave her, dismissing the moment as a minor slip-up, Brown told her followers, “It is SO important to me to tell y’all that there is no defending what I said.”
Though, if you ask Carlton (Olly Sholotan), he’d say that there’s no difference between Jay-Z or his Bel-Air Academy classmates using the N-word. In the first episode, Will chastises him for allowing his friends to use the slur, and Carlton replies, “You really flipping out over a word that Black rappers sell to millions white people every day. And you expect them not to say the words that they’re listening to?”
It’s a scene that sets the tone for their adversarial relationship, making it clear that though Will and Carlton are from the same family, they don’t necessarily share the same background or beliefs.
