SorryWatch
@sorrywatch.bsky.social
Analyzing apologies in the news, media, history & arts at SorryWatch.com since 2012. We wrote Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies (hardcover) & Getting to Sorry (new paperback!)
Reposted by SorryWatch
I got to interview the wise and wonderful @marjorieingall.bsky.social who knows everything there is to know about saying “I’m sorry,” accepting apologies, and soliciting one when necessary. This was such a good (and useful!) conversation.
ninabadzin.com/2025/09/29/1...
ninabadzin.com/2025/09/29/1...
#166 - Friendship Repair: How to Say I'm Sorry, Accept Apologies, and Ask for One
Marjorie Ingall joins Dear Nina this week to discuss how to apologize to a friend and how to accept an apology.
ninabadzin.com
September 29, 2025 at 10:43 PM
I got to interview the wise and wonderful @marjorieingall.bsky.social who knows everything there is to know about saying “I’m sorry,” accepting apologies, and soliciting one when necessary. This was such a good (and useful!) conversation.
ninabadzin.com/2025/09/29/1...
ninabadzin.com/2025/09/29/1...
Via @evgrieve.bsky.social; a group of fratty fellows were caught on video stealing an East Village empanada shop's sign. The shop shamed them on Insta & asked for help ID'ing them. The next night, a person in a hoodie, sunglasses & ski mask returned the sign...with an apology Post-It.
September 3, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Via @evgrieve.bsky.social; a group of fratty fellows were caught on video stealing an East Village empanada shop's sign. The shop shamed them on Insta & asked for help ID'ing them. The next night, a person in a hoodie, sunglasses & ski mask returned the sign...with an apology Post-It.
The Flannery O'Connor Apology Response
Poison him.
A man once told me it triggers him when I ask for an apology or bring up that he did something rude.
August 13, 2025 at 5:25 PM
The Flannery O'Connor Apology Response
Reposted by SorryWatch
I do not know who else needs to hear this @sorrywatch.bsky.social @aoc.bsky.social @chrisccuomo.bsky.social , but “Thank you for correcting me” is not an Apology.
August 6, 2025 at 11:19 PM
I do not know who else needs to hear this @sorrywatch.bsky.social @aoc.bsky.social @chrisccuomo.bsky.social , but “Thank you for correcting me” is not an Apology.
Very sincere, very heartfelt
July 27, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Very sincere, very heartfelt
Time to add "as a girl dad" to a Bad Apology Bingo card! (We already had "behind the scenes," "this has caused," "going forward," "learn from," "source of negativity" and "what was said on the Internet" as bingo squares.) awfulannouncing.com/espn/pat-mca...
Pat McAfee issues on-air apology to Mary Kate Cornett
Months after publicly joking about Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett and a since-disproven alleged affair, Pat McAfee apologized on-air.
awfulannouncing.com
July 26, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Time to add "as a girl dad" to a Bad Apology Bingo card! (We already had "behind the scenes," "this has caused," "going forward," "learn from," "source of negativity" and "what was said on the Internet" as bingo squares.) awfulannouncing.com/espn/pat-mca...
Blaming Coldplay in your apology is certainly a choice.
July 18, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Blaming Coldplay in your apology is certainly a choice.
Unjustly jailed grad student Mahmoud Khalil is suing the Trump administration for $20M, but "would accept, in lieu of payment, an official apology and abandonment of the administration’s unconstitutional policy." abcnews.go.com/US/mahmoud-k...
abcnews.go.com
July 15, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Unjustly jailed grad student Mahmoud Khalil is suing the Trump administration for $20M, but "would accept, in lieu of payment, an official apology and abandonment of the administration’s unconstitutional policy." abcnews.go.com/US/mahmoud-k...
Thoughts on NOT apologizing.
Democrats Don't Need To Apologize. They Need To Attack.
As I'm writing this, CNN commentator Van Jones and CNN host Jake Tapper are nodding sagely to each other, calling on Democrats to apologize for a "crime against the Republic." As charter members of th...
www.dailykos.com
May 21, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Thoughts on NOT apologizing.
Police apologies are rare, so we had hopes for this one. But, um, questions remain...
sorrywatch.com/a-person-of-...
sorrywatch.com/a-person-of-...
A person of interest, who can find? Actually, we’re not interested. Nothing to see here. Sorry! | SorryWatch
What happened? Why did the NYPD leave the picture up for so long? Why did it take them 5 months to admit Lee wasn’t really a suspect?
sorrywatch.com
March 21, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Police apologies are rare, so we had hopes for this one. But, um, questions remain...
sorrywatch.com/a-person-of-...
sorrywatch.com/a-person-of-...
Pro tip: When you've been accused of racism after posting racist things about George Floyd and Muslims, maybe don't say "I don't even kill spiders" as evidence of your lack of racism
February 6, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Pro tip: When you've been accused of racism after posting racist things about George Floyd and Muslims, maybe don't say "I don't even kill spiders" as evidence of your lack of racism
Apology experts here <checking research>: No apology owed.
January 22, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Apology experts here <checking research>: No apology owed.
Today we learned that former Jets QB Mark Sanchez apologized for eating a hot dog on the sidelines during a 2009 game. And it was a good apology! 1/
January 13, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Today we learned that former Jets QB Mark Sanchez apologized for eating a hot dog on the sidelines during a 2009 game. And it was a good apology! 1/
Banish "Sorry not sorry" b/c it's a cliche, but not b/c it's "a half-hearted apology masquerading as bold honesty" or "disingenuous." We think most speakers & listeners actually understand it, in real-world use, to mean "I'm not sorry at all."
Banished Words | Lake Superior State University 2025
The wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University have released LSSU's newest annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.
www.lssu.edu
January 3, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Banish "Sorry not sorry" b/c it's a cliche, but not b/c it's "a half-hearted apology masquerading as bold honesty" or "disingenuous." We think most speakers & listeners actually understand it, in real-world use, to mean "I'm not sorry at all."
Every December there's a raft of worst-celebrity-apology stories, so they must generate clicks ... but doesn't this one seem half-hearted? (Don't most of them?) wapo.st/3DzkMmu
The most bizarre celebrity apologies of 2024
Larry David, Bowen Yang, Madonna and others atoned for embarrassing gaffes.
wapo.st
December 31, 2024 at 10:07 PM
Every December there's a raft of worst-celebrity-apology stories, so they must generate clicks ... but doesn't this one seem half-hearted? (Don't most of them?) wapo.st/3DzkMmu
Thanks to those who sent us this godawful apology. It uses passive voice, doesn't name the offense, takes no responsibility ... plus those quotation marks around "deemed 'late' or 'unnecessary'"? Chef's kiss. www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
Texans safety Azeez Al-Shaair apologizes for hit on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence
"I would never want to see any player hurt because of a hit I put on them," he wrote on X.
www.nbcnews.com
December 2, 2024 at 11:23 PM
Thanks to those who sent us this godawful apology. It uses passive voice, doesn't name the offense, takes no responsibility ... plus those quotation marks around "deemed 'late' or 'unnecessary'"? Chef's kiss. www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
How is Oliver "devastated to hear [he's] caused offence" NOW?? Where was the oversight during the publishing process? Who wrote the thing? Why were there no sensitivity or authenticity readers along the way, especially when reading the plot description makes one want to die?
Jamie Oliver apologises after his children’s book is criticised for ‘stereotyping’ First Nations Australians
Exclusive: Publisher takes responsibility for the failure to consult Indigenous groups, who say the fantasy novel trivialises complex and painful histories
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2024 at 7:33 PM
How is Oliver "devastated to hear [he's] caused offence" NOW?? Where was the oversight during the publishing process? Who wrote the thing? Why were there no sensitivity or authenticity readers along the way, especially when reading the plot description makes one want to die?
Broadway TikTok is NOT happy with Scherzinger’s apology for cheering Russell Brand’s MAGA-style hat; it ducks fans’ questions about whether she’s pro-Trump. variety.com/2024/legit/n...
Nicole Scherzinger Apologizes After Supporting Russell Brand’s ‘Make Jesus First Again’ Post: ‘I Come From a Place of Love’
Nicole Scherzinger speaks out after receiving backlash for posting what many believed was a pro-Donald Trump message on Russell Brand's Instagram.
variety.com
November 10, 2024 at 1:55 AM
Broadway TikTok is NOT happy with Scherzinger’s apology for cheering Russell Brand’s MAGA-style hat; it ducks fans’ questions about whether she’s pro-Trump. variety.com/2024/legit/n...
Catching up on apologies, now using our Bluesky account! This is a good one: Uses the word "apologize" (instead of "regret"), actually names what she did (no "the unfortunate incident"), shows she understands the impact of her actions, doesn't offer excuses, takes ownership.
MMA fighter Ronda Rousey has apologized for spreading the Sandy Hook conspiracy:
"To anyone else that's fallen down the black hole of bullshit. It doesn't make you edgy, or an independent thinker, you're not doing your due diligence entertaining every possibility by digesting these conspiracies."
"To anyone else that's fallen down the black hole of bullshit. It doesn't make you edgy, or an independent thinker, you're not doing your due diligence entertaining every possibility by digesting these conspiracies."
November 8, 2024 at 9:10 PM
Catching up on apologies, now using our Bluesky account! This is a good one: Uses the word "apologize" (instead of "regret"), actually names what she did (no "the unfortunate incident"), shows she understands the impact of her actions, doesn't offer excuses, takes ownership.
Sorry for ignoring this account for months; we totally forgot it existed. (Sadly, the truth.) (But we're off evil Twitter now and will be posting here more often!)
November 8, 2024 at 9:01 PM
Sorry for ignoring this account for months; we totally forgot it existed. (Sadly, the truth.) (But we're off evil Twitter now and will be posting here more often!)
Carolyn Hax is always sound on apologies! Behold, a good thing to say after you go inappropriately nuclear on a teacher who perhaps made a small if well-intentioned error in judgment ... but DID NOT DESERVE TO BE COMPLAINED ABOUT TO THE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT JEEZ! wapo.st/464rvzf
Advice | Carolyn Hax: Parent hits the ceiling over ‘egregious’ class superlatives
A parent who complained about “egregious” class superlatives got an unsatisfying response, and now wants a reality check.
wapo.st
July 17, 2024 at 4:41 PM
Carolyn Hax is always sound on apologies! Behold, a good thing to say after you go inappropriately nuclear on a teacher who perhaps made a small if well-intentioned error in judgment ... but DID NOT DESERVE TO BE COMPLAINED ABOUT TO THE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT JEEZ! wapo.st/464rvzf
Reposted by SorryWatch
when you pick the wrong draft
May 14, 2024 at 12:14 PM
when you pick the wrong draft
Reposted by SorryWatch
June 25, 2024 at 10:31 AM
Sorry we've been quiet! Behold, a fascinating historical apology. It's not a GOOD apology, but it is a meaningful one ... in response to an act of courage by an incredible woman who should be better known in the USA. sorrywatch.com/why-did-i-sa...
Why did I say that? I’m going to be court-martialed, aren’t I? | SorryWatch
“Working with you has been quite an education for me. ..."
sorrywatch.com
June 25, 2024 at 9:31 PM
Sorry we've been quiet! Behold, a fascinating historical apology. It's not a GOOD apology, but it is a meaningful one ... in response to an act of courage by an incredible woman who should be better known in the USA. sorrywatch.com/why-did-i-sa...