wˌaɪl kəstˈɑːbi ɐpˈɑːlədʒˌaɪzd ɪn nˈuːzdeɪ, sˈeɪɪŋ, "aɪ fˈiːl tˈɛɹᵻbəl fɔːɹ sˈeɪɪŋ sˈʌmθɪŋ ðæt wʌz ɐn ʌnfˈɛɹ dʒˌɛnɚɹəlᵻzˈeɪʃən bˈeɪst ˌɔn ɐ fjˈuː spəsˈɪfɪk ɛkspˈiəɹɪənsᵻz wɪð ɡˈeɪ kjʊɹɹˈeɪɾɚz ænd kɹˈɪɾɪks ðæt lˈɛft mˌiː vˈɛɹi ˈæŋɡɹi," hiː ɹᵻtɹˈæktᵻd ðɪ ɐpˈɑːlədʒi tˈɛn dˈeɪz lˈeɪɾɚ, stˈeɪɾɪŋ ðæt hiː wʌz pɹˈɛʃɚd tʊ ɐpˈɑːlədʒˌaɪz baɪ ˈæbvɪl pɹˈɛs, ðə pˈʌblɪʃɚɹ ʌvðə ðˈɛn ʌpkˈʌmɪŋ kəstˈɑːbi: ðɪ ˈɜːli jˈɪɹz.
While Kostabi apologized in Newsday, saying, "I feel terrible for saying something that was an unfair generalization based on a few specific experiences with gay curators and critics that left me very angry," he retracted the apology ten days later, stating that he was pressured to apologize by Abbeville Press, the publisher of the then upcoming Kostabi: The Early Years.