Jimmy Fallon Faces Criticism for Wearing Blackface on 'Saturday Night Live'

Jimmy Fallon has managed to develop quite a career for himself as the host of The Tonight Show, but his past is coming back to haunt him. This week, footage reemerged of Fallon doing an SNL sketch in blackface, and people are not happy about it.

In the year 2000, Fallon dressed in full blackface for a sketch in which he impersonated Chris Rock. 

The incredibly offensive clip is available below, but watch at your own discretion.
 

#jimmyfallonisoverparty if ur trying to see what he did pic.twitter.com/5K2eAH7Vjn

— s🅰️m🐀 (@chefboyohdear) May 26, 2020

UPDATE (5/26, 5:25 p.m. ET): Fallon has acknowledged the sketch in an apology on Twitter, which you can find below. He writes he is "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

The clip has gotten plenty of angry reactions on Twitter, with people expressing their disappointment in the comedian and others defending him.
 

Waking up to videos of Jimmy Fallon doing blackface... It just gets worse every day I swear

— jo 🌻 (@my_old_scarf) May 26, 2020

 

So how are we gonna cancel jimmy fallon for doing blackface but not cancel Saturday night live for letting him do that and giving him a platform? #jimmyfallonisoverparty pic.twitter.com/ME49YCpydw

— Mio_Mio (@beyoncesdick66) May 26, 2020

 

I forgot about those Jimmy Fallon sketches; I don't know why. I definitely remember us thinking it was a hot ass mess. Back then, comedians and sketch shows coasted on the idea that they should get a creative pass for being racist because acting and "art."

— Maya Wilkes, Authoress. (@KendrianaSpeaks) May 26, 2020

 

Wait.....wait.....so Jimmy Fallon is being slammed for apparently doing a "blackface" skit in 2000. Meanwhile, nobody cares when Robert Downy Jr. does it in 2008's "Tropic Thunder". I think the internet needs to sort itself out on this one. pic.twitter.com/ptyQnsRW6n

— Fatty McFatDerg (@RuggedTheDragon) May 26, 2020

 

Well since Jimmy Fallon is cancelled for wearing blackface, are we going to cancel Robert Downey, Jr. also?👇Just sayin, y'all are a bunch of hypocrites.🤷🏾‍♀️ #jimmyfallonisoverparty pic.twitter.com/YxiS6ZQAz1

— Jasmine Jones (@jasmineajones19) May 26, 2020

 

it's correct to cancel Jimmy Fallon for wearing blackface on SNL, but no one is talking about how we should also cancel Lorne Michaels for letting that shit happen #jimmyfallonisoverparty

— i bless the rains down in castamere (@Chinchillazllla) May 26, 2020

 

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