Jimmy Kimmel issued an apology on Tuesday for recently resurfaced sketches of him appearing in blackface, saying that he had hesitated to issue a statement because it would be used by “leaders who use prejudice to divide us.” After saying that he was sorry if his actions hurt anyone, users on Twitter called for his show to be canceled and the hashtag #CancelKimmel began trending.
Kimmel has been silent after numerous sketches emerged showing him impersonating former Utah Jazz basketball player Karl Malone while wearing dark makeup, a bald head, and fake muscles in the 1990s. After announcing that he was taking a summer vacation , speculation started that he was avoiding addressing the controversial topic, forcing the host to issue a statement that was widely spread on Twitter .
“I have long been reluctant to address this, as I knew doing so would be celebrated as a victory by those who equate apologies with weakness and cheer for 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 genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke,” he said.
Users on social media questioned whether other people who have appeared in blackface would be canceled, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and comedian Sara Silverman.
James Woods called Kimmel an “unabashed racist” and told him to “own it.”
Others noted that Roseanne Barr had lost her show after a controversy surrounding her comments and felt that it was unfair for the host to keep his show.
In his apology, Kimmel went on to explain that he began doing impressions of Malone and other celebrities on the radio and he hired a makeup artist to make him look as close as he could do the people he was portraying. He said that he only thought that his actions were an impersonation of another person, “one that had no more to do with Karl’s skin color than it did his bulging muscles and bald head.”
Now, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host says that he is frustrated that these moments will be used as a way to overwrite the work he has done to fight social injustice.
Kimmel added that he had matured in the 20 years since the clips aired and he hopes that people can see from his behavior today the type of person that he is.
He concluded that he won’t be “bullied” into silence by right-wing critics who he says “feign outrage” in order to push their own xenophobic goals.
Though he doesn’t mention Donald Trump Jr. by name, his apology seems to allude to a recent post from the president’s son that calls for Kimmel to be canceled by the network that airs his show.
To be clear, I’m 100% against punishing comedians for jokes, even bad jokes from unfunny hack comedians like Jimmy Kimmel…but according to the left’s own woke rules that @jimmykimmel wants to force others to live by, it’s hard to see how @ABCNetwork allows him to keep his show. https://t.co/yYsC065pe1
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 22, 2020
Trump Jr. added his voice to those on Twitter on Tuesday, saying that it was only fair to either cancel Kimmel’s show or allow Roseanne to have her show back.
I don’t think @jimmykimmel should be fired for inappropriate jokes, but please remind me, how long did it take for @ABCNetwork / @Disney to cancel @therealroseanne ?
I’m simply anti-double standards for conservatives & libs, so either cancel Kimmel or give Roseanne her show back. https://t.co/VtQgP7zZqk
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 23, 2020
Others came to Kimmel’s defense on social media, saying that he showed growth.
