Justin Bieber did something really offensive. On camera.

Just when you thought Justin Bieber was all out of stupid things to do…

A video emerges of Bieber telling a racist joke and using the N-word. Yes, he knew he was being filmed. In fact, it was for his own documentary.

The now 20-year-old pop star is being seriously slammed for his racist tirade.

The video itself shows a 15-year-old Bieber telling a joke about black people, in which the word ‘n***a’ is in the punchline.

The clip was posted by the British tabloid The Sun, and was reportedly filmed while Bieber was making his documentary Never Say Never in 2011. In the clip he is sitting with friends, some of whom warn him not to tell the joke, but he does anyway. The Sun also reported that Bieber’s camp were trying to keep the video out of the public eye.

Bieber has since released a statement to The Associated Press, saying that he didn’t realise when he was younger that certain words could hurt.

“I’m very sorry,” Bieber said. “I take all my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologise for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable behaviour.

“I thought it was okay to repeat hurtful words and jokes,” Bieber continued, “But I didn’t realise at the time that it wasn’t funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance. Thanks to friends and family I learned from my mistakes and grew up and apologised for those wrongs. Now that these mistakes from the past have become public I need to apologise again to all of those who I have offended.”

This isn’t the first controversy to tar the former tween singer’s once-wholesome image. In the last 12 months he has been caught painting graffiti on private property in Australia, drag-racing a yellow Lamborghini while high on his mother’s medication, been accused of assaulting people, beat up a photographer, and generally behaved in a disorderly manner while drunk and stoned.

In his statement Bieber continues, “I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say but telling the truth is always what’s right.”

He closes by saying, “Once again … I’m sorry.”

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