A public apology has been issued by Michael W. Snyder, the former Green Jellÿ band member at the center of a social media controversy involving a tasteless meme about the late Ozzy Osbourne. After Metal Stop posted the news on their Facebook page, Michael W. Snyder commented the post which can be seen down below.
The controversy began on July 22, the day the world was mourning the passing of the Black Sabbath icon. A photoshopped image of Osbourne holding a sign that read “One Day Sober” was shared on Green Jellÿ‘s official social media. This post was met with immediate and widespread backlash from fans who found it deeply disrespectful.
The incident led to an acrimonious split within Green Jellÿ, with frontman Bill Manspeaker publicly announcing Snyder’s termination from the band. In a lengthy statement, Manspeaker placed the blame for the offensive post on Snyder, whom he referred to as “Michael “Fr33to F33t” Snyder.” Manspeaker claimed that he had to remove the post immediately due to its “extremely rude” nature, a decision that he said led to “non stop harassment” from Snyder. Manspeaker also questioned Snyder’s contributions to the band, alleging he only played a handful of shows in a decade and didn’t even plug in his bass on stage.
In his new statement on the Metal Stop Facebook page, Snyder addressed the fallout and offered his “sincere apology.”
He wrote:
“You know, it occurred to me, in all of this drama. It’s really the Osbourne family that I should apologize to. I don’t know if they’ll ever see this, but I’m truly sorry if I offended any of you. We’ve done lots of dark humor on the Green Jellÿ page, and I never meant to hurt anyone. I’m actually an Ozzy fan, I even have a signed photo framed. I’ve seen Ozzy live three times. I thought Ozzy wore his issues on his sleeve, and thought it was inline with Ozzy’s sense of humor. Some of the Green Jellÿ fans didn’t feel the same. Again, I sincerely apologize if I hurt anyone. #ozzyosbourne #JackOsbourne #KellyOsbourne #SharonOsbourne #BlackSabbath #greenjelly”
This public statement from Snyder comes as Green Jellÿ is scheduled to headline the upcoming “Psycho Sideshow” tour, even amidst the very public and acrimonious fallout. The apology marks a turning point in the controversy, shifting the focus from the internal band drama to the profound impact of the initial post on the grieving Osbourne family and the wider metal community.
Image credit: Metal Stop
