UPDATE 11/12/17:
Homme has now made a video apology.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has released a statement after footage emerged of him kicking a photographer in the face at a show in Los Angeles on the weekend.
Shutterstock photographer Chelsea Lauren was hit by Homme on Saturday night and was treated in hospital following the incident. She later said she planned to file a police report.
Now, in a statement post to Queens Of The Stone Age’s socials, Homme says, “Last night, while in a state of being lost in performance, I kicked over various lighting and equipment on our stage. Today it was brought to my attention that this included a camera held by photographer Chelsea Lauren. I did not mean for that to happen and I am very sorry.
“I would never intentionally cause harm to anyone working at or attending one of our shows and I hope Chelsea will accept my sincere apology.”
Lauren is yet to publicly respond to Homme’s apology, but in a statement posted to Instagram earlier, she said, “My neck is a sore, my eyebrow bruised and I’m a bit nauseous.
“Assault in any form is not okay, no matter what the reasoning. Alcohol and drugs are no excuse. I was where I was allowed to be, I was not breaking any rules. I was simply trying to do my job.
“I hold nobody accountable for this but Josh himself.
“The irony is someone had thrown an ice cube on to the very slick catwalk before the QOTSA set. I was afraid that one of the band members might slip and hurt themselves so, when the lights went dark, I used my arm to wipe down the runway so nobody would hurt themselves.”
At the time of her statement, Lauren said she was yet to be contacted by Queens Of The Stone Age’s management.
View Homme’s full statement, alongside video of the incident and Lauren’s recent statement, below.
https://twitter.com/qotsa/status/939975357519687681
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcg3ffCjXBw/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BciIUG4Dh1-/
