No Doubt Pull ‘Looking Hot’ Video After Offending Native Americans
Friday (Nov. 2) was supposed to be a big day for No Doubt, what with the debut of the video for their new single 'Looking Hot' and all, but after the clip generated the wrong kind of excitement, the band found itself scrambling to have it taken down and apologize to anyone who was offended.
At issue was the band's use of cartoonish -- and, to a sizable portion of viewers, highly offensive -- Native American imagery for the video, which depicts singer Gwen Stefani in full-on Pocahontas garb while band members dress up as cowboys and run out of teepees. Unsurprisingly, storms quickly started brewing in the clip's VEVO and YouTube comments sections, and to their credit, No Doubt didn't even wait out the weekend before yanking it and issuing an apology.
"As a multi-racial band our foundation is built upon both diversity and consideration for other cultures," reads the statement, posted at the band's website. "Our intention with our new video was never to offend, hurt or trivialize Native American people, their culture or their history."
Quickly playing the "some of my best friends are..." card, the statement continued, "Although we consulted with Native American friends and Native American studies experts at the University of California, we realize now that we have offended people. This is of great concern to us and we are removing the video immediately. The music that inspired us when we started the band, and the community of friends, family, and fans that surrounds us was built upon respect, unity and inclusiveness. We sincerely apologize to the Native American community and anyone else offended by this video. Being hurtful to anyone is simply not who we are."
Although it seems borderline comical that nobody in the band's camp realized the images in the video might be construed as hurtful or offensive, there's no denying they acted quickly once they realized they'd made a mistake. It remains to be seen how the controversy will affect the song's chart performance, or whether the band will film a new video. Check out the original clip below, and see for yourself whether No Doubt made the right decision in having it pulled.
Watch No Doubt 'Looking Hot' Video