Jamie Foxx defends Jimmy Fallon after ‘SNL’ blackface sketch resurfaces

Foxx argued that the controversy was a stretch and there were bigger issues at the moment.

May 28, 2020

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Jimmy Fallon has been facing the heat this week after an old clip of him doing blackface during a Saturday Night Live episode resurfaced on social media. Now his friend, fellow comedian Jamie Foxx is coming to his defense.

Tuesday, The Tonight Show host became a trending topic on Twitter after a video of a sketch from 2000 started making the rounds. In the clip, Fallon is shown with dark makeup on his face and hands while he does an impersonation of Chris Rock.

Jamie Foxx

“He was doing an impression of Chris Rock. It wasn’t black face [sic],” Foxx wrote Tuesday evening in the comments section of an E! News Instagram post about the controversy. “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.”

Later that same night, Fallon issued an apology for his actions tweeting, “In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface. 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.”

In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface. 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.

— Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon) May 26, 2020

“I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable,” he concluded.

The 20-year-old SNL sketch has also been removed from the NBC show database.

Despite what many say appeared to be a sincere apology, this isn’t the first time Fallon’s past racial sensitivities have been brought to light. In February 2019, Nick Cannon called out both Fallon and fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for problematic impersonations of Black celebrities.

“Are these your Kings of Late Night???” Cannon wrote on Instagram at the time along with a video compilation of both comedians. “You know I’m always on the side of the comedian and never pander to the sensitive, but I feel there needs to be some ‘truth & reconciliation’ discussions and teachable moments amongst our communities. I’m ready and willing for the discourse … In the meantime, I’ll just leave this right here. Tell the Jimmys to holla at me!”

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