Gouri Kishan refuses to accept ‘half-hearted’ apology from YouTuber Karthik

Actor Gouri Kishan, who recently made headlines for standing up against body shaming during a press conference in Chennai, has refused to accept an apology from YouTuber R S Karthik, delivered via a video message. Gouri took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify that she did not accept his ‘half-hearted’ apology. She stated, "An apology without accountability isn’t an apology at all," particularly criticizing Karthik's dismissive explanation that she "misunderstood the question" or that it was ‘just a fun one.’ She also called out his claim that he didn’t body-shame anyone, emphasizing, ‘I won’t accept performative remorse or hollow words. Do better, RS Karthik.’

Gouri has received an outpouring of support after a video of her powerful response at the press meet for her film 'Others' went viral. The actor expressed gratitude for the solidarity, but also urged people to focus on the broader issue the incident highlighted: the normalisation of body shaming and the harmful impact of unrealistic beauty standards. She stressed that anyone who has faced such experiences has every right to speak out against them.

However, Gouri faced some backlash after reacting to a meme targeting Karthik's qualifications to comment on her weight. Some critics accused her of displaying a double standard, but many others continued to support her, arguing that the YouTuber ‘deserved a taste of his own medicine.’