Special Olympics Condemns Kid Rock’s Use of Slur: ‘Please Acknowledge the Hurt Caused’

Kid Rock is facing renewed criticism after remarks he made during an Oct. 24 appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime, when he used a derogatory term for people with intellectual disabilities while describing a Halloween costume. The Special Olympics responded with an open letter urging the musician to acknowledge the harm caused and to reject language that demeans people with disabilities.

The letter, posted on the Special Olympics website and authored by Loretta Claiborne — the organization’s chief inspiration officer — emphasizes that such words carry a painful history of dehumanization. Claiborne asks Kid Rock to use the incident as an opportunity to apologize, learn, and help lead a more respectful public conversation.

Claiborne, a Pennsylvania native and celebrated Special Olympics athlete, has an extensive record of advocacy and achievement: she is a seven-time gold medalist, a 1996 Arthur Ashe ESPY Courage Award recipient and the first Special Olympics athlete elected to the organization’s international board. In her letter she offers to speak with Kid Rock and to share the movement’s work toward inclusion and dignity for people with intellectual disabilities.

Advocates note that while the use of this slur fell out of mainstream usage in the 2010s, it has reappeared in public discourse in recent years — prompting renewed calls from disability-rights groups and allies to reject the term and the prejudice it represents. For context, the Special Olympics post is available on their site.

Billboard has contacted Kid Rock for comment.

This episode is part of a broader pattern of controversies surrounding the artist. Recent profiles and past onstage incidents have documented instances in which Kid Rock used racially or sexually charged language and, in one reported incident, brandished a firearm. He has previously defended or downplayed such remarks on social media platforms.

Read the Jesse Watters segment on YouTube and the Special Olympics open letter for full context:
Watters clip (YouTube) ·
Special Olympics: Open Letter

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