Us Weekly, which earlier published a story about Kendall Jenner's remarks on her father Bruce Jenner's reported transition, appears to be backing down after the 19-year-old model denied giving an unusually candid interview.
The magazine was forced to issue an apology and retraction after publishing apparently fake quotes from Kendall in an odd story titled 'Kendall Jenner Breaks Silence on Bruce Jenner's Transition: 'I Will Always Love My Dad,'' on the site on March 18, Stuff.co.nz reported.
Kendall was quoted saying, while backstage at the Justin Bieber Comedy Central roast, "I love my dad. He's always been there for me and my sisters. He's a wonderful man and just because he's changing shoes now, so to speak, doesn't make him less wonderful. I will always love my dad, whether he's a man or a woman."
The interview was allegedly conducted by an independent freelance journalist on March 14, taping of Comedy Central's roast of Justin Bieber in Los Angeles.
On Mar 19, Kendall took it to her Twitter page to say "Shame on US Weekly for making up quotes. I NEVER said those things. I never spoke to them," adding "how is it legal for someone to "quote" someone and publish it if in fact you never said what was quoted."
As Kendall's tweets made the rounds, the pressure around the story intensified and so Us released an extensive statement explaining that the quotes were from a freelance reporter who still stands by the interview, but the magazine's editors "have concerns about the veracity of this interview and the circumstances under which it was obtained."
It added that "We would like to retract the story entirely and have removed it from our website. We sincerely apologize to Ms. Jenner and her family.