News | Entertainment
7 Feb 2026 13:54
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Sir Elton John is “shocked” by DaBaby’s homophobic comments at Rolling Loud

    The 'Suge' hitmaker was criticised for the comments he made about sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS, during his set at the festival over the weekend


    And now, openly gay music legend Elton has spoken out to condemn DaBaby’s comments, as he said “mistruths” about HIV have “no place in our society”.

    Elton’s personal Twitter account posted: “We’ve been shocked to read about the HIV misinformation and homophobic statements made at a recent DaBaby show. This fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic.

    “Homophobic and HIV mistruths have no place in our society and industry and as musicians, we must spread compassion and love for the most marginalised people in our communities. A musician’s job is to bring people together.”

    The ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer – who founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in

    1992 with the mission of ending the AIDS pandemic – went on to share three separate tweets detailing facts about HIV which debunked comments made by DaBaby.

    The tweets read: “HIV has affected over 70 million people globally: men, women, children and the most vulnerable people in our communities.

    “In America, a gay black man has a 50 perfect lifetime chance of contracting HIV. Stigma and shame around HIV and homosexuality is a huge driver of this vulnerability. We need to break down the myths and judgements and not fuel these.

    “You can live a long and healthy life with HIV. Treatment is so advanced that with one pill a day, HIV can become undetectable in your body so you can’t pass it onto other people.”

    During his set, DaBaby - whose real name is Jonathan Kirk - made controversial remarks which referenced homophobia in relation to sexually transmitted diseases.

    He said: "If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually-transmitted diseases, that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cell phone lighter up… "Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d*** in the parking lot, put your cell phone lighter up.”

    DaBaby initially doubled down on his comments after the show, but ultimately chose to apologise on Twitter on Tuesday (27.07.21).

    He wrote: “Anybody who done ever been effected by AIDS/HIV y’all got the right to be upset, what I said was insensitive even though I have no intentions on offending anybody. So my apologies “But the LGBT community... I ain’t trippin on y’all, do you. y’all business is y’all business. (sic)”

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     07 Feb: Harry Styles is restocking his sex toy days after announcing his new album
     07 Feb: Meryl Streep has joked she's suffering "PTSD from wearing high heels for 16 weeks" while filming The Devi Wears Prada sequel
     07 Feb: Miss Piggy says Sabrina Carpenter was "very intimidated" by her on The Muppet Show
     07 Feb: Christian Bale "screamed like crazy" to release his "despair" during long make-up sessions for The Bride!
     07 Feb: Colin Farrell has joked his "hips don't lie" as he approaches his 50th birthday
     07 Feb: Channing Tatum has undergone surgery for a shoulder injury
     07 Feb: Jesy Nelson was devastated to "miss" the birth of her twins after she was "put to sleep" for an emergency caesarean-section
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Black Ferns Sevens star Jorja Miller's joking she might pass more this weekend in Perth More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Progress at Moa Point in the capital following the sewage leak on Wednesday More...



     Today's News

    Business:
    Progress at Moa Point in the capital following the sewage leak on Wednesday 13:47

    Entertainment:
    Harry Styles is restocking his sex toy days after announcing his new album 13:31

    Rugby:
    Black Ferns Sevens star Jorja Miller's joking she might pass more this weekend in Perth 13:27

    Soccer:
    The returning Sarpreet Singh is adamant the Phoenix can still surge into the A-League playoffs 13:27

    Law and Order:
    Nancy Guthrie may have been abducted in a 41-minute window, authorities say 13:27

    International:
    What is the AIN at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics? Why Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete in Italy 13:07

    Rugby League:
    A court spat over NRL player Zak Lomax could mean the Melbourne Storm end up with a hefty legal bill instead of the star winger 13:07

    Entertainment:
    Meryl Streep has joked she's suffering "PTSD from wearing high heels for 16 weeks" while filming The Devi Wears Prada sequel 13:01

    General:
    Winter Olympics 2026 opening ceremony: Milano Cortina Games gets underway as twin cauldrons are lit in both cities 12:37

    Entertainment:
    Miss Piggy says Sabrina Carpenter was "very intimidated" by her on The Muppet Show 12:31


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd