These days it feels like there are very few famous people left without a skeleton or two in their closet – and late-night host Jimmy Fallon is no exception having recently taken to Twitter to apologise for wearing blackface in a Saturday Night Live skit from 2000. Hear about it all below:
“In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface,” he wrote.
“There is no excuse for this. I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable,” he added.
Fallon’s apology comes just a few days after the clip of the skit hit Twitter and went viral with the trending hashtag #JimmyFallonIsOverParty.
Sadly, this is not the first time a comedian has been forced to apologise for blackface and other racist behaviour. Robert Downey Jr. copped flak for sporting blackface in the 2008 action comedy film Tropic Thunder, Billy Crystal was labelled racist after impersonating Sammy Davis Jr. with blackface at the 2012 Oscars and even Fallon’s fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel landed in hot water for his racist impression of basketball player Karl Malone from 2000.
In a 2018 interview with Variety, comedian Sarah Silverman acknowledged a problematic sketch she did in 2007 in which she donned blackface “to examine whether being Jewish was harder than being African-American.”
“Shaka Senghor, whom I interviewed [on I Love You, America], said we don’t have to be defined by our worst moments, but we do have to acknowledge them,” she said. “I feel like unless you can admit to those things you can’t be changed by them and you can’t even forgive yourself for them.”
Silverman’s statement rings particularly true when it comes to Jimmy Fallon’s apology. However one thing remains – blackface is never okay and there is absolutely no excuse for it.
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