We knew it was a combination of things — drugs, alcohol, insularity, pressure, megalomania — that contributed to Galliano's anti-Semitic tirade in 2011 and subsequent swift downfall from Dior and his own label. It's been two years since, and Galliano has privately and publicly been attempting to atone.
He appeared on Charlie Rose last night in an hour-long interview where he dissected, apologized, and recounted the events and situations that led him to that very dark place. When Rose asked, "You recognize that what you said was hateful, vile, anti-Semitic?" Galliano was quick to respond: "I do. I apologize. And I am trying to make amends in the best way that I can." Whether you forgive him or not, it's obvious from his words and appearance that Galliano still hasn't really forgiven himself.
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"I too wanted to know where that hate came from. I've discovered that when one is a blackout drinker, what happens is that you can — it can release, um, paranoia of such a stage that it can trigger frustrations from childhood. And due to that, it can trigger a self-defense mechanism."
Galliano explains earlier that he was bullied as a child for being gay and an immigrant and never sought therapy for it. "I suppressed everything as a child. I couldn't really express myself. Later on in life, in that state I found myself in, it came up. I was emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally bankrupt."
The interview goes on to cover his empathy with Alexander McQueen, his experiences in rehab, and the research into dancer and anti-semite Rudolf Nureyev, who inspired the menswear collection Galliano was working on at the time of the tirade.
Click here to watch the full hour-long interview.
