Jimmy Fallon Apologizes For Wearing Blackface In 2000 ‘SNL’ Sketch
Jimmy Fallon is the latest celebrity to face consequences from blackface clips resurfacing. The talk show host and comedian is facing backlash after a clip of him on “Saturday Night Live” impersonating Chris Rock in blackface resurfaced.
A 20-year-old clip of Jimmy Fallon in blackface on “SNL” impersonating Chris Rock.
The clip is circulating on social media and has sparked a debate over cancel culture and blackface in our society. The comedian is the latest in a line of prominent people that have had to apologize for offensive images of them in blackface resurfacing. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and fellow comedian Sarah Silverman have also apologized publicly for moments of blackface in their past.
Fallon owned up to the incident and tweeted an apology.
People have come to Fallon’s defense since the video has resurfaced. One of those people is Jaime Foxx.
“He was doing an impression of Chris Rock. It wasn’t black face [sic],” Foxx commented on an E! News Instagram post. “We comedians, I know it’s a tough time right now. But this one is a stretch. On a show called ‘In Living Color’ we played every race. Let this one go. We got bigger fish to fry … #changecourse.”
The revelation of Fallon in blackface brought a clip of Jimmy Kimmel in blackface to light.
Fallon fans are calling on social media to give Kimmel a similar treatment because of his own example of blackface for comedic appeal. Kimmel’s blackface incident hasn’t caused as big of a reaction as Fallon’s.
Social media users are in a fierce debate over what Fallon’s fate should be in the time of cancel culture.
Blackface has a long and documented history of oppression in the United States. The practice of blackface dates back to the 1830s in the U.S. and it later caught on in Britain. Blackface was usually used in minstrel shows that would play on stereotypes of Black people and helped in the proliferation of racism and prejudice.
Some people are trying to make whiteface a thing but Twitter users are not having it.
Critics are quick to differentiate blackface from whiteface because of their historical context. While blackface has a direct link to racism, slavery, and Jim Crow, whiteface is different according to critics. Whiteface does not build itself on racism, oppression, and racial segregation.
What do you think about the Jimmy Fallon blackface clip?
