Gina Rodriguez tearfully breaks down on ‘Sway in the Morning’

Actress clarifies to the world that she didn't mean to sound racist or anti-Black

Actress Gina Rodriguez became very emotional while addressing controversial comments she made last year, comments that many social media users label as “anti-black”, on Sway in the Morning on Tuesday.

Brianna Rhodes

Jan 23, 2019

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Actress Gina Rodriguez became very emotional while addressing controversial remarks she made last year, comments that many social media users label as “anti-black”, on Sway in the Morning on Tuesday.

Rodriguez, 34, struggled to hold back tears after speaking about the public backlash she received last year from critics. During a group interview with Ellen Pompeo, Gabrielle Union and Emma Roberts discussing racial pay equality last year, many people in the Black community were offended by her remarks. She described the experience as “devastating” on the show.

During the Net-a-Porter panel, Rodriguez stated, “I get so petrified in this space talking about equal pay especially when you look at the intersectional aspect of it, right? Where white women get paid more than black women, black women get paid more than Asian women, Asian women get paid more than Latina women, and it’s like a very scary space to step into.”

Members of the Black community were not fond of Rodriguez statements, as some thought she was ignoring how Latina actresses have actually received higher payments.

Rodriguez actually clarified her comment by stating that she was actually addressing the pay gap for women of color in general, according to The Huffington Post.

Sway in The Morning gave her a platform to clarify her statement,

“I never said actresses, I wasn’t speaking about my industry. I always find it difficult to talk about equal pay as a woman who makes a substantial amount of money. As somebody who came from poverty to now the amount of money I get paid, it doesn’t feel right that I’m the one talking about it, because I’m so damn grateful. What I was saying, was that when we talk about equal pay, we have to talk about intersectionality because we all must rise.”

Rodriguez also backed up her statement by saying that the Black community was the only community she looked up to when she was growing up. Since there weren’t any other Latino shows, the black community made her feel seen.

This isn’t the first time Rodriguez has faced criticisms when it comes to color. She was scrutinized in a comment she made about Oscar-nominated movie, Black Panther, by questioning where the Latinos were in Marvel and DC movies, which didn’t sit well social media users. Many felt like she was dis-acknowledging Afro-Latina actresses who have appeared in such movies, and the success of Black Panther which features a majority black cast.