Paramore drummer Zac Farro has opened up about his brother and ex-bandmate’s past homophobic comments.
Since the early 2000s, the pop-punk band has made massive waves with their hit singles like Misery Business and Ain’t It Fun.
However, alongside their record-breaking music, the group has also had their fair share of controversy.
Back in 2010, fans were shocked when Josh and Zac Farro left Paramore after their Brand New Eyes tour.
“For the last year, it hasn’t seemed as if they wanted to be around anymore,” the remaining members said in a statement at the time.
“We want Josh and Zac to do something that makes them happy, and if that isn’t here with us, then we support them finding happiness elsewhere.”
Even though the band seemed to hold no ill feelings for Zac and Josh’s decision, the latter called out lead singer Hayley Williams for leaking their departure and being manipulated by her management in a deleted blog post (per Billboard.)
While Zac returned to the band in 2017, Josh continued to alienate Paramore fans when he made vile homophobic comments on his Facebook page in 2020.
In the post, the 35-year-old guitarist called homosexuality a perversion and compared it to paedophilia.
Shortly after Josh’s hateful comments made headlines, Williams took to Twitter and slammed the former member, stating: “There’s a reason there are only three people left in Paramore. Surprise, haters, it ain’t cause of me.”
Former #Paramore guitarist Josh Farro makes homophobic post labelling homosexuality as a perversion, Hayley Williams responds:
“Paramore do not condone religiously/politically dogmatic beliefs which leave our LGBTQ+ friends, fans, & family feeling abandoned and hopeless.” pic.twitter.com/rYYevKXhu7
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 29, 2020
Zac also condemned his brother’s comments and ensured Paramore’s LGBTQ+ fans that he “loved and supported” them in his own post.
Over the last few years, the band has remained relatively quiet regarding the aforementioned incident.
However in a recent interview with The Guardian, Zac opened up about Josh’s comments and the status of their relationship.
“You think when you’re a kid, you’re gonna do everything together, and we did up to a certain point. Then we didn’t,” he explained.
“It definitely put a strain on the relationship, but I actually this it’s been for the better recently. You can’t really be mad at that person – that’s what they chose. You have to choose if you’re going to show love.”
Taylor York, who plays the bass guitar for Paramore, echoed similar sentiments, stating: “This is another thing I don’t even really know where to put, but people think they are doing the right thing. A lot of people feel conviction.”
As for Williams, the Paper Planes singer opened up about the difficulties of giving people with controversial and hateful takes leeway.
“I don’t want to do the work to think about people as nuanced figures… I don’t want to have any grace for people like that,” she explained.
“But I think it’s the work of all of our lifetimes to be uncomfortable enough that we can move the needle in the right direction.”
Check out Paramore’s brand new single, This Is Why, here or below.
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