Nighttime host Jimmy Kimmel was criticized for what critics call an “no apology” that addresses his story of wearing a black face.
On Tuesday, just a day after Fox News obtained the audio of his use of the N-word in 1996 in a song posing as Snoop Dogg, Kimmel issued a statement to Fox News about his use of blackface during his tenure as presenter of “The Man Show” in the early 2000s, especially by posing as former NBA star Karl Malone.
“For a long time I have been reluctant to tackle this, as I knew that doing so would be celebrated as a victory by those who equate apology with weakness and encourage leaders who use prejudice to divide us. That delay was a mistake. There is nothing more important to me than your respect, and I apologize to those who were really hurt or offended by the makeup I used or the words I uttered, ”Kimmel began his statement.
“We hired makeup artists to make me look as much like Karl Malone as possible. I never considered that this could be seen as more than an imitation of a human being, one that had nothing more to do with Karl’s skin color than with his bulging muscles and bald head. I have made dozens of impressions of famous people, including Snoop Dogg, Oprah, Eminem, Dick Vitale, Rosie, and many others. In each case, I thought of them as celebrity personifications and nothing more, “Kimmel said in the statement.” Looking back, many of these sketches are embarrassing, and it’s frustrating that these thoughtless moments have become a weapon used by some. to lessen my criticism of social and other injustices. “
JIMMY KIMMEL USED ‘N-WORD’ AT THE IMITATION SNOOP SONG IN 1996, REPRESENTED THE COMIC GEORGE WALLACE IN 2013: AUDIO
While the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” insisted that he has “evolved” since his days on the Comedy Central show, he stated that his previous use of blackface “will be used to try to calm me down.”
“I will not be intimidated by those who feign outrage to advance their oppressive and genuinely racist agendas,” Kimmel promised.
He added: “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to explain and I am sorry to those who have disappointed me.”
However, the nightly host was criticized for focusing so much on his critics that he suggests they are the true racists rather than reflecting on their own misdeeds.
“People are not ‘feigning outrage’, fake scams @jimmykimmel,” Donald Trump Jr. told the ABC star. “We are pointing to the utter hypocrisy of you and your library friends who always try to cancel YOUR political enemies, but refuse to maintain the same standards of awakening. This ‘apology’ proves that point.”
“Kimmel went with the Weinstein ‘I am fighting the NRA defense,'” conservative commentator Stephen Miller reacted, referring to movie tycoon Harvey Weinstein’s initial response in disgrace to allegations of sexual assault.
JIMMY KIMMEL’S DISPUTES: FROM ‘N-WORDS’ TO BLACKFACE AND MORE
“Save us, Jimmy. You have asked for the destruction of people for minor offenses. You think ‘I know my motives, and I am not a racist. It was a joke,’ but you have torched those who said the exact same thing. People before you shouldn’t either, “wrote Jessica Fletcher of The Blaze.
“This reads a bit like ‘how dare you keep me to the same standard that the @washingtonpost applies to rando, racists,'” said Hot Air senior editor Ed Morrisey, invoking the criticized report on the Washington Post, who recently attacked a woman wearing a black face at an employee’s Halloween party in 2018.
Amid the national dialogue that followed the death of George Floyd, virtually every aspect of American culture is being scrutinized through the lens of racial sensitivity from monuments and statues, iconic food brands, to any form of entertainment. And Jimmy Kimmel is no exception.
In 2018, Kimmel pleaded with comedian Tom Arnold, who at the time promised the existence of a tape showing President Trump using the N word during his time as the host of “The Apprentice.”
However, there appears to be a tape showing Kimmel using the word N. Several times.
JIMMY KIMMEL DIRECTS ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ BUT IGNORE HIS OWN BLACKFACE STORY OF USE
A few days after Kimmel announced that he would take the summer off his show, Fox News obtained the audio of a song he recorded imitating Snoop Dogg on a 1996 Christmas comic album, “A Family Christmas In Your A–” , which came out of the “Kevin & Bean” radio show that aired on KROQ-FM in California.
In the Christmas song, a singer mentioned a “fat n —- on a sled giving away,” referring to Santa Claus. The song also referred to “n —– in the manger,” including King Herod’s associates.
“I told that mother, Dad, to bring a selection for my afro,” continued the singer. The “three wise men” were described as “bringing gifts and sh- for baby boo in the hay”.
“Me and my n —– down at LBC, we’ll smoke that motherf —— Christmas tree,” said Kimmel.
The cassette notes, obtained by Fox News, showed that the album was co-produced by “Jim Kimmel” and credited Kimmel for all the “comedy stuff” on the album, except for a handful of unrelated tracks. Kimmel also appeared on the album cover.
In a January 2013 podcast, Kimmel recalled recording the song and said, “This is when Snoop Dogg first came out, came on the scene, and I used to imitate him just saying, ‘Do you know what I’m saying?'”
“Jimmy, do you only make black people?” someone asks on the podcast.
“I prefer them, yes,” Kimmel replies, apparently jokingly.
WASHINGTON POST DEMANDS CRITICAL REPORT ON WOMEN’S HALLOWEEN OFFICIAL COSTUME AT 2018 STAFF PARTY
During the same podcast, he also shared his imitation of the black comedian George Wallace and recalled how he “called the Comedy Central president” from a New York City hotel room after he and his friends had been drinking.
While Kimmel’s apology doesn’t specifically address her previous use of the N-word, it does address her previous use of wearing the black face in “The Man Show,” where she wore dark makeup while posing as Karl Malone and the show host. of interviews during the day, Oprah Winfrey.
Earlier this month, the ABC star addressed his own “white privilege” amid national dialogue about George Floyd’s death.
“You hear the phrase ‘white privilege’ and it’s easy to get defensive. The first time I heard it, I did it,” said Kimmel. “For me, the white privilege was like what Donald Trump had: a rich father and a silver spoon in his mouth. It wasn’t what I grew up with, so I rejected it because I didn’t understand what the white privilege meant, but I think what do I do now … “
SUNNY HOSTIN: “THINK TWICE” BEFORE DEFENDING WASHINGTON, STATUES ROOSEVELT; We were taught ‘REVISIONIST HISTORY’
He continued, “This is what I think it is: White people, we don’t have to deal with negative assumptions about us based on our skin color … while black people experience that every day, like every day.
“And please don’t tell me that you never make assumptions about people based on their skin color because I don’t think so. We all do it, I know yes, I’m ashamed to say it, but I have.”
Kimmel’s racially charged humor is not the only type of comedy critics have criticized. The representation of women in “The Man Show” has not aged well in the era of the #MeToo movement.
Days after allegations of sexual misconduct arose against dishonored movie magnate Harvey Weinstein, an old clip from “The Man Show” appeared showing Kimmel making women on the street play a game where they had to guess what was in his pants using his hands.
TWEETED ONION ABOUT AUNT JEMIMA’S RETREAT HOURS BEFORE ANNOUNCEMENT
In the clip, Kimmel suggests to one woman to “use both hands” and jokingly says to another, “Maybe it would be easier if you put your mouth on it.”
During an exchange with another woman, he asked how old she was. She said she was “18”.
“Are you sure?” Kimmel replied. “Because Uncle Jimmy doesn’t need time.”
When a contestant aggressively felt his pants with her hands, he jokingly said, “You are going to be a good wife.”
Kimmel, who is still slated to present the Emmy Awards this fall despite the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, announced on his show last Thursday that he was taking a break to spend time with his family.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“There is nothing wrong with me, my family is healthy, I am healthy,” Kimmel assured her viewers. “I only need a couple of months of rest. So while I’m gone, a parade of very kind and capable people will replace me. I think you will be very happy with them. They will be the guest hosts of the show. “
The host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” also appears to be on Twitter, showing no activity since Saturday.
Fox News’ Brian Flood and Gregg Re contributed to this report.
