The 2024 BET Awards aired on Sunday from the Peacock Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles in the United States.
Simmons attended the event which was held on Sunday night and extended into the early hours of Monday.
The reality TV star wore an emerald-gemmed dress and accessorised with a crystal-embellished purse shaped like a handgun.
She was also seen on the red carpet pointing the gun-shaped purse at the camera.
Her fashion choice sparked immediate controversy on social media where critics called her out for being “tone-deaf and insensitive”.
This was especially given that Sutton Tennyson, her ex-fiancé whom she has a son with, was shot and killed in 2018.
Angela Simmons son is growing up without his Father & never even had the chance to know him because he was a victim of gun violence & she wants to be a corny low life goof walking around with a clip as a prop. This can’t be the legendary Rev Run’s daughter. pic.twitter.com/g5b8Gu7qUB
— Chris (@RealDealChris) July 1, 2024
Angela Simmons so damn dumb… She be trying so hard to be something she not😒🙄 like girl sit down you lost your child father to gun violence and your man lost his brother to gun violence why think the purse was cute?? Just worms and air for a brain.
Advertisement— 🥶 (@_BadTingzs) July 1, 2024
On Monday, the 36-year-old reality star addressed the controversy on Instagram.
Simmons acknowledged that the purse’s symbolism was “inappropriate and insensitive” given her experience with gun violence.
She also apologised to those she had offended by her actions.
“I deeply regret that this item, which symbolizes a gun, was inappropriate and insensitive, especially given my personal and community experiences with gun violence,” she wrote.
“I have personally lost my partner, the father of my child, to gun violence. I have witnessed its devastating impact on my community in Southeast Queens.
“It was a mistake that does not define who I am or my commitment to ending violence. To anyone who was hurt or offended by my actions, I offer my deepest apologies.”
Angela Simmons is the daughter of Rev Run, the US rapper, DJ, and producer.
She rose to fame with her family on MTV shows like ‘Run’s House’ and ‘Daddy’s Girls’.
In 2016, she produced and appeared in her reality TV show, ‘Growing Up Hip Hop’.