NEW YORK -- Justin Bieber is apologizing for telling a racist joke - including the N-word.
The joke-telling is in a video recorded five years ago - and just now being made public by the British tabloid, The Sun.
In the video, a then-15-year-old Bieber tells a joke about blacks that includes the N-word as a punchline. Before he utters the punchline, someone warns him not to, but he says it anyway - as those around him laugh.
In a statement yesterday to The Associated Press, Bieber said he didn't realize how certain words could hurt. He also says he takes his "friendships with people of all cultures very seriously" - and that he's sorry for what he calls his "childish and inexcusable behavior."
Canadian singer Justin Bieber performs at the o2 Arena in east London, Monday, Mar. 4, 2013. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)