Lil Rel Howery shows red carpet love to Black media

By Princess Gabbara

·June 17, 2018

Actor Lil Rel Howery (L) and dLaisha Fox attend the 2018 MTV Movie And TV Awards at Barker Hangar on June 16, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for MTV)

Actor and comedian Lil Rel Howery deserves major props for showing extra love to Black journalists and press at the MTV Movie and TV Awards on Saturday night, reports the L.A. Times, making sure he gave interviews to Black press before speaking with mainstream outlets.

The Get Out star’s “preferential treatment” comes a week after the University of Southern California released a study showing that the majority of movie critics were white and male. Furthermore, the study revealed that over 80 percent of reviews published on RottenTomatoes.com were written by white critics.

“I want to start with the people who are actually supporting me, have supported me and will actually put the content out there,” Howery told the New York Times on Friday. “Then, I’ll talk to everyone else, but that’s who I’m going to start with first.”

Typically, Black media outlets are placed toward the end of the red carpet at major events.

“Some of us Black stars forget what was sitting on that little table when we were growing up,” Howery continued during his interview with the Times. “That was how we knew who was who, but we seem to have forgot that. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I just want fairness.”

Dozens of Black journalists took to Twitter to show their appreciation and praise Howery for standing up for Black press.

“Thank you for this! I need more Black celebs to follow your lead,” wrote Kellee Terrell.

Thank you for this! I need more Black celebs to follow your lead

— Under His Eye Heaux (@kelleent) June 17, 2018

“Shoutout to @LilRel4 for always stopping to talk to black reporters and outlets on the carpet. We appreciate you!” wrote another Twitter user @mariel_turner.

Shoutout to @LilRel4 for always stopping to talk to black reporters and outlets on the carpet. We appreciate you!

— Mariel Turner (@mariel_turner) June 17, 2018

Howery’s publicist Michelle Watts also weighed in on Instagram, writing: “You cannot see a problem and not address it with some revolutionary tactics.”