Yesterday, we discussed Daniel Franzese’s Facebook post about Bijou Phillips. Daniel is an actor who has been working for two decades, and he appeared in Bully with Bijou. He claims that when they were filming (circa 2000), Bijou was a homophobic bully and general a–hole who constantly made fun of him and even kicked him in the head one time. Well, Daniel posted his story over the weekend, and to her credit, Bijou responded pretty quickly. She apparently reached out to Daniel privately and she also dropped an email to TMZ to issue a public apology:

Bijou tells TMZ, “I want to write to address what Daniel has said. I don’t remember that time well, those years are a blur. I was a teenager and reckless in my behavior. I know Daniel to be a trustworthy and honest person, and to find out through social media that I was not the friend I thought I was to him made me so sad.”

Bijou goes on … “I am so mortified by this behavior and have contacted Daniel and apologized to him privately. I am not and never have been homophobic. I have nothing but love for the LGBTQ community and Daniel.”

[From TMZ]

The thing is, I would be willing to believe that Bijou was probably heavily into drugs at that point in her life, and that could be affecting her memories of that time. I like that she says that she trusts Daniel’s memory and his version of events, rather than trying to deny or negate his story. That being said, the bar is set so low. “I am not and never have been homophobic.” Girl, you clearly were.

Anyway, Daniel has accepted her apology and he made a statement on Twitter, writing:

Thread: I forgive @BijouPhillips because I don’t know her private story either. I shared this story only to bring light to a dark memory. It was 18 years ago. She has sent me an apology I accept. It would be nice to see her make a donation to @TrevorProject or something. This is not the only tale of horror or horrible people I have been around in the film industry.

I’m not a perfect person by any means but I always try to treat people with respect. Especially as an adult. Hopefully we can move forward into a future where film sets are a more professional environment. The movie BULLY in particular was a volatile set. Brad Renfro was arrested for stealing a boat the day before we started shooting the film. 18 years ago is a long time and I’d like to think she has found peace in her life. I certainly have. These experiences shape us. These days my belly sees the sun at the beach and I can honestly say (especially now that it’s been heard) I see the sun too. We’ve all been hurt and we’ve all hurt someone. I accept your apology on the grace you can afford the same mercy to someone else one day.

[From Daniel’s Twitter]

That’s a lovely sentiment – it must be a nice moment for him to get closure on at one thing in his past which has always bugged him, and like so many victims, his forgiveness is more for his own peace of mind than Bijou’s. Does this mean that all is truly forgiven? Probably not. But he’s moving on. Good for him.

Photos courtesy of WENN.