RICHMOND, Va. (CelebrityAccess) — Chris Bopst, a Richmond musician, radio host, music promoter at Richmond music venue Balliceaux, and former member of the heavy metal band Gwar, resigned from several of his jobs after a Halloween costume backfired.
Bopst sparked the controversy when he posted a photo of himself on social media in what appeared to be blackface. He subsequently took the photo down and issued an apology.
"I seriously screwed up. I would like to apologize to humanity for my failure as a human being. Recently, I wore a black face clown outfit thinking I was being thought-provoking and funny. It wasn’t until I woke up Sunday morning that I realized how seriously wrong I was," he wrote in a public Facebook apology. "Since then, I’ve experienced an acute moral revulsion with myself that I can’t accurately describe. It’s a queasy sickness; an all-composing sense of regret twisting and turning in my stomach. All I know is that I deserve it.
"In writing this, I want in no way to absolve myself of my actions. People have every right to be angry; I am disgusted with myself and I will be for the rest of my life. I will never stop being ashamed.
"I’ve demeaned myself, my family and all those close to me. No apology will ever be enough."
In the wake of the costume choice, Bopst has left his position at music booker at Balliceaux. The venue subsequently issued a statement on the incident via Facebook, writing:
"As the ownership and management staff at Balliceaux, we are shocked and saddened by the costume choice of one of our former employee. Due to dim lighting and a busy atmosphere when Chris showed up late in the evening, the staff had little interaction with him and were unaware of the costume’s racist intent until published on Facebook. If it had been brought to our attention he would have been immediately dismissed. In no way, do we support this intolerant behavior. Chris Bopst is no longer an employee at Balliceaux. Again, we deeply regret what happened."
As well, according to local CBS affiliate WTVR, Bopst lost his gig as the Calendar Editor at Style Weekly, a Richmond-based alternative newspaper.
"In response to several inquiries, Chris Bopst was an independent contractor for Style Weekly who is no longer providing services," Style posted on Facebook. – Staff Writers
