Jimmy Fallon has apologised again for wearing blackface 20 years ago, saying he cannot stay silent about the controversy especially in the wake of the George Floyd protests in America.
Fallon was the subject of widespread criticism last month when a video of him impersonating Chris Rock in blackface in a Saturday Night Live sketch from 2000 was resurfaced.
The TV host tweeted an apology hours after the hashtag #jimmyfallonisoverparty began trending, admitting that the skit was “unquestionably offensive”.
In a new development, Fallon used his opening monologue in the latest episode of The Tonight Show on Monday (1 June) to delve deeper into the issue. He said: “I had to really examine myself in the mirror this week because a story came out about me on SNL doing an impression of Chris Rock in blackface. And I was horrified. Not of people trying to ‘cancel’ me or cancel this show, which is scary enough. The thing that haunted me the most was, how do I say I love this person?”
He continued: “I respect this guy more than I respect most humans… I’m not a racist. I don’t feel this way.”
In the context of Floyd’s death and the current discourse around racism in America, Fallon wanted to expand on his brief Twitter statement despite “getting advised to stay quiet and not say anything”.
“That’s the advice because we’re all afraid,” he said. “I realised that I can’t not say I’m horrified and I’m sorry and I’m embarrassed. I realised that the silence is the biggest crime that white guys like me and the rest of us are doing, staying silent. We need to say something. We need to keep saying something.”
