Rob Thomas says sorry for racial slur, to learn more about Aboriginal culture in Australia [VIDEO]

Rob Thomas of the US rock band Matchbox Twenty has agreed to learn more about the Aboriginal culture after making a racial slur during his show in Melbourne. He apologised for the joke, calling it “racist and insensitive.”

Thomas was at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Saturday when a technical glitch allowed him to speak to the audience for a few moments. It appeared to be an intimate one-on-one conversation between a rock star and his fans, but one that was tainted with racist undertone in just a few seconds.

“I drank so much that I thought I was a black Australian,” he told his fans in what appeared to be a failed attempt at self-depreciation. His comment was met with both laughter and boos. It wasn’t until he was backstage when he was informed that he offended his Australian audience with his remark.

“Please understand that although it is no excuse, I was completely unaware that in Australia there is a polarising social issue happening right now involving indigenous people and alcohol,” he wrote his apology on Facebook.

“When I was made aware of it, the ground fell out beneath me, and I realised that people may now see me as the exact opposite of who I am,” continued, adding that he was “gutted” to realise that his joke was a relevant and real issue in Australia.

“I know that words are just words, but to those I offended, I deeply, DEEPLY apologise! Everyone who knows me s aware that for the past 20 years I have been a fervent supporter of civil rights, so I am incredibly embarrassed by my ignorance,” Thomas wrote. “I feel like a fool and apologise to all Australians.”

He wrote on another post to insist he didn’t know that the phrase “black Australia” was racist itself. “I sat in my room and I cried when I found out.”

Thomas, 44, has been in Australia numerous times before. To rectify his mistake, he will meet with indigenous photograph Barbara McGrady in Sydney to learn more about the Aboriginal culture, Noise11 reports.

YouTube/TMZ