T.I. backtracks on taking daughter to get hymen checked: ‘I embellished and exaggerated’

T.I. has now backtracked on his controversial admission that he takes his daughter Deyjah to the doctor to have her hymen checked, claiming he ‘exaggerated’ the story.

The 39-year-old, real name Clifford Harris Jr, sparked outrage when he said that he took his 18-year-old daughter to the gynaecologist every year to check whether her hymen was still intact.

It was his way of making sure Deyjah hadn’t had sex.

But in his new Red Table Talk interview with Jada Pinkett Smith, T.I. says his words were ‘misconstrued’.

‘I came to clear up any misconceptions there have been surrounding how we parent and what is appropriate and inappropriate,’ T.I. explained to Jada, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Jones.

‘I think all of this comes from a conversation I was having in a very joking manner when asked how I deal with parenting in this day and age.’

The Live Your Life rapper continued: ‘From a place of truth, I began to embellish and exaggerate and I think a lot of people took it extremely literal because if you put any of my reputation, who I am as a father, who I’ve been, I honestly thought people knew me better than that.’

When asked he is understood the sensitivity towards the issue, T.I. replied: ‘No, I did not. I understand it now, absolutely.’

‘However, I think my intentions have been terribly misconstrued and misconceived.’

According to T.I., he was not present in the exam room and has not taken Deyjah to the doctor since she was 18 – his wife Tiny Harris who was also in the interview, stated she was 15 and 16.

‘Let me set this record straight. I never said I was in any exam room, that was an assumption. That is a falsity. I never said it was being done present day as an 18 year old,’ he stated.

‘I never said that her mother wasn’t present. She was present every time. All of this false narrative has just been sensationalised.’

Addressing Deyjah’s feelings about the check-ups, T.I. continued: ‘There was never any objection. She did have a problem with me talking about it, however, and I understand that. And I am incredibly apologetic to her for that.

‘Not to any of these other strangers, or any other weirdos who just tossed lies around for fun.

‘She understands my intentions, who I am and who I’ve always been.’

Part two of T.I.’s Red Table Talk interview is expected to air next Monday.