Gina Rodriguez Tearfully Responds to Claims She's 'Anti-Black'

Gina Rodriguez is speaking out to respond to critics who called her “anti-black” for comments she made a couple months ago about pay equality.

The 34-year-old Miss Bala actress said in a previous interview with Net-a-Porter that, “I get so petrified in this space talking about equal pay especially when you look at the intersectional aspect of it, right? Where white women get paid more than black women, black women get paid more than Asian women, Asian women get paid more than Latina women, and it’s like a very scary space to step into.”

In a new interview with SiriusXM’s Sway In The Morning, Gina opened up about the controversy and gave a tearful response.

“I never said actresses. I wasn’t speaking about my industry. I always find it difficult to talk about equal pay as a woman who makes a substantial amount of money. As somebody who came from poverty to now the amount of money I get paid, it doesn’t feel right that I’m the one talking about it, because I’m so damn grateful,” Gina said.

“What I was saying, was that when we talk about equal pay, we have to talk about intersectionality because we all must rise. And so the backlash was devastating to say the least because the black community was the only community I looked towards growing up,” Gina said tearfully. “We didn’t have many Latino shows and the black community made me feel like I was seen, so to get anti-black is to say I’m anti-family.”

You can watch the whole interview starting at the 12:00 mark.

“If I have hurt you, I am sorry, and I will always be sorry, but you have to know, until you know my heart, there is no way we can live off clickbait,” she said at the end of the interview.