Jimmy Fallon has apologized for donning blackface in a resurfaced 2000 “Saturday Night time Stay” skit that had many calling to “cancel” him.
The 45-year-old host of “The Tonight Present” issued a press release Tuesday in a tweet and thanked followers for holding him “accountable.”
“In 2000, whereas on SNL, I made a horrible resolution to do an impersonation of Chris Rock whereas in blackface,” he wrote. “There isn’t a excuse for this. I’m very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive resolution and thank all of you for holding me accountable.”
Fallon’s 20-year-old sketch went viral in a single day after Twitter person @chefboyohdear posted the classic clip that includes Darrell Hammond and Fallon doing an impersonation of Rock along with his face painted brown.
The tweet, which has amassed practically 962,000 views as of Tuesday, featured the hashtag #jimmyfallonisoverparty and a caption which learn: “NBC fired Megyn Kelly for mentioning blackface. Jimmy Fallon carried out on NBC in blackface.”
Whereas backlash over the resurfaced video was swift, followers gave the impression to be divided over Fallon’s tweet apology.
“It was 20 years in the past, it doesn’t matter anymore,” one wrote.
“This was 20 years in the past… Cancelled tradition wants to sit back tf out Y’all do realise that not every thing folks do and say 20 years earlier than is identical as what they do and say now,” chimed in one other.
“No person cares about what you probably did on SNL. It wasn’t offensive, it was humorous,” wrote one fan in a response which was lambasted by one other. “Who the hell are you to say it wasn’t offensive? It was,” the Twitter person replied.
“How gullible are you? He’s solely apologizing now as a result of it obtained publicized now. He would have carried it to the grave if he might have,” a cynical fan responded.