Amid rumors that retailer Target has refused to sell Frank Ocean‘s debut album because of his recent admission that his first love was a man, the company has confirmed it won’t carry Channel Orange, but for a completely different reason.

Earlier this week, Frank Ocean’s manager Christian Clancy implied Target wasn’t selling the album due to Frank coming out, tweeting, “Target has refused to carry Frank’s album because of iTunes exclusive. Interesting since they also donate to non-equal rights organizations.”

But Target released a series of statements yesterday denying those claims, instead saying that they will not carry Channel Orange because it was not only released a week early, but also is being exclusively sold as a digital download on iTunes:

“The claims made about Target’s decision to not carry the Frank Ocean album are absolutely false. Target supports inclusivity and diversity in every aspect of our business. Our assortment decisions are based on a number of factors, including guest demand.

“Target has a longstanding tradition of supporting music and artistry that reflects the diverse landscape of American culture. Our history of partnering with diverse artists includes recent partnerships with a variety of musicians, such as Ricky Martin, B.o.B., and Gloria Estefan.”

And in another statement, the company further explained its decision:

“At Target, we focus on offering our guests a wide assortment of physical CDs, so our selection of new releases is dedicated to physical CDs rather than titles that are released digitally in advance of the street date.”

After Target’s response, Clancy apologized for his initial accusations.

I apologize for my comments about Target. They are not carrying Frank’s album because it went digital first. Not for ANY other reason. … My response was simply an emotional knee jerk reaction. … Stop. Breath. Do the best you can. Be honest. Keep it moving.”

Despite the drama, Channel Orange is predicted to land at the top of the Billboard charts next week, with between 110,000 and 125,000 in its first week.

Source: Billboard