Lil Jon Says Donald Trump Called Him ‘Uncle Tom’

In his reality TV show The Apprentice, Donald Trump allegedly called Lil Jon “Uncle Tom” after seeing the rapper dressed as Uncle Sam for a segment of the show. The episode of the show aired in 2013, and Trump was heard making the racist remark at least twice.

The rapper addressed the incident on Twitter on Friday. He stated that as soon as he learned about the comment, he addressed Trump directly. Lil Jon said he wasn’t sure if Trump knew what his comments were offensive, but that he stopped using the term once the meaning was explained to him.

The singer added, “I also want to be clear that I don’t agree with many of the statements Mr. Trump has said during his current run for President.”

In an interview with The Daily Beast, an employee of The Apprentice show said: “We kept trying to explain to [Trump] that that’s not a word you can use, that it’s offensive.” Multiple producers of the show were said to try and get Trump to stop using the term. Trump thought it was “just a saying” and couldn’t figure out the difference between Uncle Sam and Uncle Tom.

Trump himself has not responded to the allegations, but his campaign spokesman Hope Hicks said that they were “simply untrue.”

This is not the only offensive remark Trump has said during the show. He is reported to have called deaf Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin “retarded,” and in the same season the Lil Jon incident happened, he said to contestant Brande Roderick: “It must be a pretty picture, you dropping to your knees.”