Jimmy Fallon Apologizes For Wearing Blackface On 'SNL'

Popular talk show host Jimmy Fallon has apologized for wearing blackface 20 years ago on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” In that particular sketch, Fallon was seen portraying comedian Chris Rock while talking to one of his “SNL” colleagues.

The sketch featuring Fallon in blackface resurfaced online and drew a lot of criticisms from the netizens. The whole video of the sketch is no longer available, but some clips from the skit have been making rounds on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter.

The clips went viral on social media and soon users started trending the hashtag “#JimmyFallonIsOverParty” on Twitter. Thousands of people shared those clips and called out Fallon over his impersonation.

After learning about the issue, Fallon posted an apology on his official Twitter account and also explained that it was a “terrible” decision to imitate Rock while in blackface. He felt “sorry” for his actions and expressed gratitude toward the social media users for holding him accountable for such an “offensive” decision.

“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,” Fallon wrote.

However, a lot of people started calling out other celebrities who have received backlash for wearing blackface. A user called out Robert Downey Jr. for doing the same thing in the movie “Tropic Thunder.” The “Avengers: Endgame” star portrayed the character of Kirk Lazarus, a five-time Academy Award-winning actor, in the film.

In the movie, Lazarus had a controversial “pigmentation alteration” surgery to darken his skin for his portrayal of the black character Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Lazarus refused to break character until he has recorded the DVD commentary for a part and only spoke in his character's African American English.

Downey Jr. was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Screen Actors Guild award for his impeccable acting in the movie.

On the other hand, NBC fired news anchor Megyn Kelly in 2018 after she defended the use of blackface.

Here are some reactions from Twitter users: