Julianne Hough Wears Blackface For Halloween Party, Apologizes Later

Julianne Hough’s insensitive blackface costume may have simply been an oversight (albeit a bad one) by the actress. Hough dressed up as Orange Is the New Black character Crazy Eyes and darkened her skin color and hair to go along with the costume.

Hough’s costume was for the Casamigos Tequila Halloween party in Beverly Hills, which she was photographed attending with a group of six female friends, also dressed as characters from the hit Netflix show, plus a male friend dressed as a police officer.

However, Hough was the only one who used makeup to change her skin color for her character. The makeup, called blackface is a form of theatrical makeup performers used to use to darken their skin to create the stereotypical caricature of an African-American person.

While it likely wasn’t Hough’s intention to reference the racist makeup style, critics still lashed out at the actress for going a little too far into her Halloween costume.

Hough failed to realize her makeup would lead to a massive backlash and took to Twitter the next day to explain herself. The actress wrote:

“I am a huge fan of the show Orange is the New black, actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she created. It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize.”

While some Twitter users sided with Julianne Hough and accepted her apology for donning blackface to portray Crazy Eyes for Halloween, others didn’t. User @TheMadamEditor responded to Hough’s tweet, writing, “here comes the BULLSH*T. Ignorance is not bliss. YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!!”

Twitter users weren’t the only critics of Hough’s costume decision. The Huffington Post commented that the actress should “stick to Sexy Nurse next time.”

While we’re not sure she will go as a sexy nurse, we’re betting Julianne Hough will never use blackface in a costume again.

[Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com]