Tony Robbins makes a lot of money on the talk circuit as a self-help guru. He’s made millions motivating people, but now multiple news sources are reporting that there is a video clip of Robbins repeatedly using the n-word in a public setting. Sources also claim he kissed a woman when she came up to him and told him his advice didn’t work. The video making the rounds, which was posted by BuzzFeed, shows a young Robbins making a presentation to a small crowd in the 1980s, and describing an “intense” encounter with what he called a predominantly “militant Black” audience at a previous event. The self-help coach said that after audience members challenged him about why he only used “White examples” in his teachings, he explained to one man that if he didn’t stop taking offense about matters of race he would “never be free.” The audience at the videotaped presentation gasped, laughed, and clapped as he went on to describe how he had addressed one upset attendee in a discourse about overcoming racial differences. “As long as someone calls you a nigger and gets that kind of response I’ve seen right now, where you’re ready to explode, and what you’ve done is given that person absolute control of you,” he recalled saying. “You have no control in your life. You are still a slave.” Robbins said he had then told the whole audience to “just do what I do just for a minute if you really want to be free and if you want to have some fun.” He proceeded to perform a dance in front of the crowd while singing, “I’m a nigger, you’re a nigger, be a nigger too.” Audience members were also singing “I’m a honky” and Black and White people were hugging. “Black, White, doesn’t matter to me,” he added.
Robbins’ lawyers said in a statement that “the presentation was positive and was accepted in the context in which it was conducted: a passionate discussion about racism and how to rise above it.” They added: “Any suggestion that Mr. Robbins is somehow racist or insensitive to the African-American community is absurd and false. Indeed, one of Mr. Robbins’ event partners for 25-plus years is an African-American.” Robbins has spoken openly about his use of “taboo language,” humor and other shock tactics to try to shake fans out of emotional stagnation — often swearing and talking graphically about sex. BuzzFeed revealed Friday that Robbins has berated victims of rape and violence, while former staffers and fans have accused him of roping audience members, exposing himself to women assistants and sexually harassing fans. Robbins has vehemently denied “engaging in any alleged “inappropriate sexual behavior” with audience members or employees.
