Mark Ronson Apologizes For ‘Embarrassing’ Remarks On Sapiosexuality

After walking back controversial remarks he made in an interview last week, Mark Ronson is sapiosexual no more. 

The seven-time Grammy winner told “Good Morning Britain” on Sept. 19 that he identifies as “sapiosexual,” a term he’d learned from one of the show’s previous guests that day. Psychology Today defines a sapiosexual person as one who “finds intelligence and the human mind to be the most sexually attractive feature for a potential sexual relationship.”

Ronson’s interview was framed by a number of media outlets, including Billboard, Us Weekly and Out, as a “coming out” moment, akin to someone publicly identifying as LGBTQ for the first time. 

But the comments got a blistering reception on social media, with many accusing the musician ― who has collaborated with the likes of Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga ― of co-opting an LGBTQ-specific narrative. (It should be noted Ronson himself did not use the words “coming out.”) 

In an interview with Rolling Stone on Wednesday, Ronson explained that he’d been misinformed about the meaning of sapiosexuality and that his words had been taken out of context. 

“It sounds like I went on a TV show to be like, ‘Guys, I have some big news!’ And the fact that I would go on and sort of declare myself — like as a heterosexual white male — part of any marginalized community was terrifying to me, or just embarrassing,” he said. 

“I do not consider myself part of any marginalized community,” he continued, “and I apologize if anybody misunderstood or took offense to it.” 

The 44-year-old, who was previously married to French model Joséphine de La Baume, also said he’d been hopeful the controversy would blow over after viewers saw the interview for themselves and understood his remarks were intended, to some extent, in jest. 

“But that’s not what happens on Twitter anymore,” he said.

According to a 2017 New York Times article, the term “sapiosexuality” appears to have been coined in 1998. It gained wider usage in the earlier part of this decade, and in 2014, the dating app OKCupid began including it on its list of options for gender and sexuality.

However, the concept has been a consistent source of controversy. Some critics have gone so far as to brand the term ableist in that it promotes the idea of choosing a partner based on class and a narrow definition of intelligence.