KY Gov. Apologizes After Accusing Real Resident Named Tupac Shakur of Being a Prankster Filing False Unemployment Claim

Governor Andy Beshear (D- Kentucky) wasn’t happy yesterday with people filing for unemployment in the state under false names.

He called out one person in particular for filing as Tupac Shakur. Beshear said, “We had somebody apply for unemployment for Tupac Shakur here in Kentucky. And that person may have thought they were being funny, they probably did. Except for the fact that because of them, we had to go through so many other claims.”

But per the Lexington Herald-Leaderper the Lexington Herald-Leader, this was not someone sending in a joke unemployment claim for Tupac, but in fact a real resident named Tupac Malik Shakur:

Shakur said he’s been calling Frankfort frequently to try and figure out why his claim didn’t go through. He said he’s been wondering why it was being held up, but never would have guessed it’s because the education and workforce development cabinet thought it was a joke.

“I’m hurt, I’m really embarrassed and I’m shocked,” Shakur said. “He needs to apologize. That’s just my name.”

The paper reports Beshear’s office said “the state could not verify the identity on the application they received” initially, and the governor has since called him to apologize.

Beshear also apologized publicly during his Tuesday press briefing:

“I owe somebody an apology tonight. Last night I spent a little bit of time talking about fraudulent claims holding us up. I mentioned an individual that filed in the name of Tupac Shakur. I didn’t know, and it’s my fault, that we have a Kentuckian who goes by Malik whose name is Tupac Shakur. I talked to him on the phone today, I apologized. I told him how it happened, but I owned it. It’s my fault. He was gracious. I said I’m sorry if I embarrassed him or caused him any attention he didn’t want. He was very kind.”

“We’re going to make sure we resolve his claim,” Beshear added.

Shakur told the Herald-Leader after the call, “I understand, he’s dealing with a lot. Mistakes happen.”

You can watch Beshear’s apology above, via WLEX.

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