MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross took HBO talk show host Bill Maher to task on Saturday after he criticized actor Lin-Manuel Miranda for apologizing about concerns of colorism in his new film In the Heights.
During a segment on her Saturday show, The Cross Connection, Cross expressed that Maher, host of Real Time with Bill Maher, had no business telling people of color what they should deem offensive.
She opened the block by expressing her opinion of Maher and his long-running show through no uncertain terms.
“Ok, Bill Maher has been wack for some time,” Cross said, mentioning his use of the N-word and featuring panels of mostly white commentators. She called the comedian “painfully out of touch” and characterized his monologues as “stale and clumsy.”
Despite saying that she stopped watching the Maher show a long time ago, she singled out a portion of a June 18 episode in which he complained about actor/writer Miranda’s public apology about the lack of Afro-Latinx actors in his new film, In the Heights.
In the segment, Maher stated, “Please stop apologizing. You’re the guy who made the founding fathers Black and Hispanic,” referencing the diverse casting in the hit Broadway musical from Miranda, Hamilton. “I don’t think you have to apologize to Twitter, for f–k sake. This is why people hate Democrats. It’s cringy.”
TheGrio previously reported on Miranda’s apology after critics felt that the newly released film didn’t accurately reflect the demographic of the Washington Heights neighborhood in New York City’s Manhattan borough by excluding dark skin Latinx actors.
Miranda wrote on social media on June 14, “I can hear the hurt and frustration over colorism, of feeling still unseen in the feedback,” while admitting that “we fell short” casting more Afro-Latinx cast members and vowing to “do better” in future projects.
Cross praised Miranda for his “gracious” and “appropriate” apology for “accidental colorism” in the film. She then called out Maher for sounding like a “moderate Fox News contributor” despite professing to be a “liberal ally.”
“This is why ‘allies’ get the side-eye sometimes,” Cross continued. Then Cross made the point that Maher has no right to tell Black and Brown people how they should feel about anything.
“Bill Maher, you do not get to tell people of color what they should or should not be offended by. Stay in your lane, slim,” she said.
Going on, Cross suggested that Maher stop giving people like Sharon Osbourne and Tomi Lahren a platform and have “more diverse panels of people who can explain colorism to you, and systemic racism,” instead of “standing on your alabaster perch every week to crap on other people’s lived experience while providing a safe haven for well-established white supremacists.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!