In a now-viral video that could be described as anything but friendly, ‘Just a Friend‘ hitmaker Mario is seen in a heated confrontation with a cameraman in a short-but-sour moment captured by fans at The Big Fresno Fair in California over the weekend.

As critics across the net continue to weigh in on the GRAMMY-nominated singer’s reaction (deemed by many as an overreaction), he took to Instagram on Tuesday (October 14) to respond to the chatter.

 

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As seen in the clip above, Mario (born Mario Barrett) was in the middle of singing his 2002 hit ‘Braid My Hair’ when he abruptly stopped to chastise an on-stage cameraman.

“Yo, get the fuck of the stage n***a. Get off the stage,” Barrett yelled at the man before summoning security to escort him out.

Fan-captured footage from the performances of other hitmakers on the bill (i.e. Lloyd, Nivea, Vanilla Ice, etc.) showed the cameraman (later identified as Ryan Hudgins) had been on stage most of the night and was unbothered by the performers.

For some, Barrett’s unexpected and aggressive display was souring and disappointing – topics he addressed when he took to Instagram to apologize days after the incident.

“Multiple times while seeing the cameraman through my peripheral, I got distracted and one time almost tripped over a speaker trying to make sure I’m not walking in the same direction as him. He was too far down stage…I got frustrated.” Mario revealed to explain why he got so upset in the moment.

Later in his lengthy address, the ‘Let Me Love You’ singer did directly apologize to the camera professional.

“I will take accountability for being a 0 to 100 type of person and this is why I stay out the way most of the time. I never want one recorded incident to wipe away the work I’ve done as a person,” he shared before relaying, “You got caught in the crossfire my boy, and I’m sorry you had to experience that. It’s nothing personal. You’re welcomed to come and shoot me on tour…and we can do it the right way.”

Read the full statement below.

The statement comes just a month before Mario kicks off his headlining, North American trek ‘Nothing But Us Tour‘ in celebration of the release of his single of the same name.

Click here to see the dates.

[photo source: Live Nation]

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