‘Crossed a line’: Miguel addresses online racist attacks directed at his partner and young child
TheGrio...
The singer and longtime partner, Margaret Zhang, are parents to a young baby boy and are reportedly preparing to welcome their second child.
Miguel has largely kept his family out of the spotlight, occasionally sharing photos on his Instagram account of former Vogue China editor Margaret Zhang and their young son, Angelito. However, the “CAOS” singer felt the need to address nasty messages left for her and their child.
In a lengthy post uploaded to Instagram on Friday, Miguel firmly stated that the harassment online has been going on for more than a year, prompting him to close the comments on a recent birthday post dedicated to Zhang. In another recent photo, Zhang can be spotted posing next to Miguel with a very pronounced baby bump, leading fans to believe the couple will soon be adding another bundle of joy to the world.
Still, for all of the happiness in his personal life, the harassment and racism have prompted him to speak out.
“over the past year, my family and the people i love have been subjected to racism, harassment, stalking, invasions of privacy, and false allegations,” he began. “recent racist and anti-Asian attacks directed at my partner – including comments and DMs, as well as abusive comments about my child – crossed a line that should require no explanation.”
He added, “people can have opinions about me. about the music. about the work. I accept the realities that come with doing anything in public. but racism, threats, harassment, stalking, invasions of privacy, and targeting of children are abuse. not opinion. it doesn’t become acceptable because someone dresses it up as criticism, fandom, speculation, or ‘concern.’”
“responsibility also lies with organizations and individuals that knowingly amplify or enable racism, harassment, or false allegations for attention and engagement. if you participate in this behavior, you are not supporting me. you are not part of this community. where legal and ethical lines have been crossed, action has been and will continue to be taken. to everyone who has treated my family with kindness, dignity, and respect: we see you. we deeply appreciate you.”
Last year, he opened up about his divorce from Nazanin Mandi, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship for nearly 20 years before the pair married. They divorced after four years of marriage in 2022.
Despite the couple appearing to be “relationship goals” and the focus of many a muse board on Tumblr, Miguel has moved on. However, fans who still harbor resentment toward him and believe he stepped out on Mandi with Zhang and had a child while still married were wrong.
During an interview on “The Breakfast Club” last year, Miguel cleared up the “wrong timeline” many fans had about his relationship with Zhang, while also calling her an “incredible” partner and mother to their son.
“I have to say this, the f—d-up part is that people start doing the wrong math,” he began.
He continued, “The one thing I did not do is start a relationship while I was married and then had a baby. I got divorced–and I’m going to say this straight up: Everybody out there talking s–t like I was still in a marriage and then I had a baby or I was having an affair all this time? I met my son’s mom after we were divorced. I met her at an event that we were not even supposed to go to. That was well after we were done.”