Countdown presenter Rachel Riley has apologised to Jedward after joking about their music while criticising an anti-Semitic rant by rapper Wiley.
Over the weekend Grime star Wiley was banned from Twitter after using the social media platform to publish anti-Semitic comments.
Riley, who is Jewish, said the Grime star could have "just done a duet with Jedward" if he was looking to end his career instead of making the "bizarre" statements.
She said: "He could have just done a duet with Jedward if he was that keen to end his career.
"An unprompted, still going, public antisemitic breakdown is a bizarre route to go down."
Jedward replied: "You are a patron for a Center for Countering Digital Hate?
"And yet here you are spreading Hate!! As anti bullying ambassadors we don't approve of this!"
You are a patron for a Center for Countering Digital Hate? And yet here you are spreading Hate!! As anti bullying ambassadors we don't approve of this! 👍🏻
— JEDWARD (@planetjedward) July 25, 2020
Rachel promptly apologised and deleted her original tweet.
She then replied to the brothers: "Genuinely didn't mean any offence to you, was just a joke and you were the least grime people I could think of."
Apologies to @planetjedward, totally flippant joke about them not being particularly grime and no offence intended. Good meme below though, they're nice boys and I didn’t think of the cumulative impact of jokes.https://t.co/q9ftutt5H4 https://t.co/7dncM4RsOA
— Rachel Riley (@RachelRileyRR) July 25, 2020
She also tweeted the statement: "Apologies to Jedward, totally flippant joke about them not being particularly grime and no offence intended.
"Good meme below though, they're nice boys and I didn't think of the cumulative impact of jokes."
😆 Rachel good luck with the countdown we do love the show pic.twitter.com/Ek474n35gz
— JEDWARD (@planetjedward) July 25, 2020
