Vivica A. Fox recalls Ivanka Trump’s racist comments
"I really think that she thought she was complimenting us," Fox told Andy Cohen
During a Friday episode of Andy Cohen’s E! show “For Real: The Story of Reality TV,” the producer addressed “racial controversies” on reality TV shows throughout the years. Actress Vivica A. Fox recalled a racist comment made by Ivanka Trump while they were tapping “The Celebrity Apprentice,” in 2015.
Fox said ex-president Donald Trump’s daughter spoke to a group of women which included Fox, Keisha Knight-Pulliam, and Kenya Moore during season 14. According to Fox, Trump said, “Wow, you speak very well.”
“You’re certainly an articulate group. It’s very impressive hearing you all talk,” Trump said in the episode.
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She then added that she believes that Trump wasn’t fully cognizant of her comments, saying, “Andy, I hate to say it. I don’t think she knew at the time that she was insulting us. I really think that she thought she was complimenting us. That it was like, ‘Oh, wow, you guys are intelligent.’”
“I don’t think she knows now,” Cohen responded.
Fox remembered that at the time “Twitter went crazy” with viewers who had opinions about Trump’s comments, including user @atlantasistah who said “Let @IvankaTrump know that Black people can talk and she need not be ‘surprised’ at how ‘articulate’ one of us may be. #CelebrityApprentice.”
“Think of the layers and layers and layers of white people that saw a cut of that show and they said, ‘Oh, this is great,’ Cohen responded.
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For years, rumors were swirling about Donald Trump using racial slurs while working on “The Celebrity Apprentice.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, magician Penn Jillette said British television producer Mark Burnett has tapes of the former president and was “in the room” when Trump would say “racially insensitive things that made me uncomfortable.”
Trump told radio host Howard Stern in 2005 that he could gain television ratings by pitting white and Black contestants against each other on the show.
“And it would be nine Blacks against nine whites, all highly educated, very smart, strong, beautiful people, right?” Trump told Stern, who asked if “very dark Blacks or light-skinned Blacks” would appear.
“[An] assortment of Blacks,” he responded. He then suggested that the white contestants would be all blondes.
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