T.I. says he made teenage daughter take virginity tests to protect her from 'boys who want to defile her'
Rapper T.I. has defended himself and explained his controversial comments on taking his daughter, Deyjah Harris, 18, for annual virginity tests.
He claims that the examination had happened when his daughter was a young teenager and he had exaggerated the story for some comedic effect. While speaking to Jada Pinkett Smith on Red Table Talk, he revealed, "First of all, I came to clear up any misconceptions there have been surrounding how we parent and what is appropriate and inappropriate".
"I think all of this comes from a conversation I was having in a very joking manner when asked how I deal with parenting in this day and age," he continued. He went on to say that from a place of truth, he had exaggerated the story and people took it very literally. "If you put any of my reputation, who I am as a father, who I’ve been, I honestly thought people knew me better than that," he shared.
"I never said I was in any exam room, that was an assumption. That is a falsity. I never said it was being done present day as an 18-year-old," he explained. T.I. also shared that Harris' mother was also present at the examination which took place when she was 15 years old. The rapper shared that he regretted telling people about it but continued to defend his actions.
He shared that in the present day and age, black women are "the most unprotected, unattended, disregarded women of the planet". "I'm being criticized because I'm willing to go above and beyond to protect mine and I'm talking about all the little slimy, grimey, chubby-fingers little boys who want to just come and defile and destroy the sanctity that I have," he revealed.
While on the Ladies Like Us podcast, he had made the bizarre comments and had said, "Not only have we had the conversation, we have yearly trips to the gynecologist to check her hymen. Yes, I go with her … I will say, as of her 18th birthday, her hymen is still intact".