Iggy Azalea performs at SAP Center on September 24, 2022 in San Jose, California.
Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images.
Iggy Azalea ‘Never Intended to Publicly Comment’ On Tory Lanez Ahead of Sentencing
Rapper Iggy Azalea was one of 76 people who wrote a letter to the judge in Tory Lanez’s case, supporting the Canadian artist, who received a 10-year sentence on Tuesday.
Iggy Azalea was exposed earlier this week for writing a letter in support of Tory Lanez during his high-profile trial in the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. Before Lanez was handed a 10-year sentencing, legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff revealed that Azalea was one of 76 people who wrote a letter to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford.
In a since-deleted tweet Azalea, born Amethyst Amelia Kelly, addressed the backlash to the letter, writing that she never intended to publicly comment” and that she “supports prison reform.”
“For the record: 1). I have not been in touch with Tory for months. I have no reason to be, but I do wish him well. 2). I don’t ‘support’ anyone. The whole thing is full of oddities. My letter never mentioned anything in regard to what happened that night. 3). I was told this was for a judge only, yet it’s being discussed in public?,” the rapper tweeted on Monday (August 7).
She added: “I never intended to publicly comment. 4). I am not in support of throwing away ANYone’s life if we can give reasonable punishments that are rehabilitative instead. I support prison reform. Period. 5). I was asked to write about my genuine experience and the type of punishment I think he deserves — I did. It’s not really that interesting, but I understand why it’s being sensationalized.”
However, Cuniff pulled receipts on Kelly, confirming the Australian rapper’s plea to Judge Herriford. The 33-year-old, who was rumored to have dated Lanez in 2022, wrote that while she is “a victim of abuse,” that she wouldn’t write Herriford “on the behalf of an abuser.”
Kelly added that she’s “witnessed him defuse so many sticky situations with kindness and humor,” and that he’s “the last person to lose his cool.” “I’ve never encountered this jealous, rage filled person he’s accused of being. I know him as someone who’s always bursting with happiness,” she wrote.
The “Fancy” rapper shared that she’d ensure Lanez is “in a position to come home and get back to work” once he’s completed his sentence, adding that she’d “employ him without hesitation as an executive producer on my next album.”
“I have maintained close contact with him during his incarceration and I am confident he has already gained positive insight in regard to this experience,” Kelly stated.
The letter baffled some readers, as Kelly accused rapper Playboi Carti, also the father to her 3-year-old son, of domestic abuse. Kelly was also slated to tour with Megan Thee Stallion in 2019, although Megan was replaced with Saweetie after the two seemingly had a falling out.
Megan, legal name Megan Pete, also wrote a letter to Herriford, saying that she could not bring herself “to be in a room with Tory again.” The Houston artist reiterated that she “hasn’t had a moment of peace since the shooting happened,” and that Lanez has lied “to any and everyone who will listen.”
