Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

WATCH: 'Daily Show' Says Why Not to Wear Blackface on Halloween

WATCH: 'Daily Show' Says Why Not to Wear Blackface on Halloween

The Daily Show aired a segment Thursday night as a friendly reminder that blackface is not an appropriate costume for Halloween. In fact, it is very racist.


Don't worry if you didn't already know that parading around with black paint on your face is a racist faux pas, so long as you heed Daily Show correspondent and comedian Roy Wood Jr.'s advice on how to avoid such trespasses. Roy dressed as a vampire to explain how white people applying black makeup to pretend to be a person of color for Halloween, or anytime, is horribly offensive.

“Every year, somehow, there are people who put on costumes that are about 200 years too late,” Roy explained.

Blackface, a tradition of non-black performers presenting themselves as black, is "rooted in a very painful past," he went on to say. Eric Lott, professor of English and American studies at City University of New York, guest appeared to explain how blackface emanated from the “history and politics of slavery” and white supremacy. Because of racial segregation and oppression, blacks were not allowed to perform these roles, and the "problematic" practice became more popular in the mid-19th century with minstrel shows.

Now blackface has resurfaced as a party fad.

“Blackface is like smoking on an airplane. It used to be acceptable a long time ago but now we know it hurts people around us,” Wood Jr. concluded. “That’s why when it comes to blackface, your intentions don’t matter.”

The Daily Show shared their public service announcement on Twitter: "Are you considering making blackface a part of your Halloween costume this year? Please don’t."

One person said that it is also not fair to tell a little girl that she can't dress up as Moana, to which another Twitter user replied by saying that of course, the little girl can dress up as anyone she wants to be, so long as her face isn't painted brown.

Roy's vampire costume choice illustrates how one can dress up as a character known for a different ethnicity without changing your own.

Unfortunately, the segment also garnered more hateful responses. Eric Staples of Florida is one of those voices: "It's moronic SJW videos like this which inspire people to put on blackface in the first place. Oh, the irony."

Etienne Noel also chimed in his feelings, clearly believing that people should be more tolerant of blackface: "Every costume is fine. Don't fall for that PC bullshit. If people are not tolerant enough to survive seeing a black face, I pity them fools."

There was also a backlash in the other direction, with the accusation of cultural appropriation: "White people are so oppressed, they have to wear other races and cultures as costumes."

But Trump supporter HoldMyBeer_CBW from Houston, Texas takes the cake for both being intentionally offensive (so as to deter from the Roy's message of being culturally respectful), while simultaneously perpetuating an alternative fact (i.e. a bold-face lie that has taken on a life of its own).

HoldMyBeer_CBW shared a photo of a young white couple dressed in costumes, with one of them perfectly demonstrating blackface. The insinuation is that the woman is Hillary Clinton. But it is not her.

The photo first surfaced in early 2016 as part of a smear campaign, but Snopes has since proven, in detail, that the couple in the photo are not the Clintons.

So if you are still thinking of dressing up in blackface for Halloween... just don't. Trust Roy on this one. People might start thinking you're a racist.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

More from Trending

TikToker @richi_luvv; Sabrina Carpenter
@richi_luvv/TikTok; Sabrina Carpenter/YouTube

Kidz Bop Just Released A Cover Of A Super Suggestive Sabrina Carpenter Song—And Fans Are Not OK

Kidz Bop, the long-running music outfit that refashions pop songs for the ears of children, usually focuses on upbeat, bubble gum pop tunes, right?

It's like the kind of songs you'd hear at, say, the grocery store, retooled for the elementary school set.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from Fox News broadcast
Fox News

Sean Hannity Roasted After Claiming His Friends In NYC Are 'Scared' After Mamdani's Win

When Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor in June, Republicans and some old school Democrats were positively apoplectic.

An immigrant Muslim of Gujarati and Punjabi Indian parents who has lived in NYC since he was 7 years old, the 34-year-old New York State Assembly member was the stuff of nightmares for the MAGAsphere. Mamdani was a non-White, non-Christian, Uganda-born immigrant and progressive Democrat.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Zohran Mamdani
Andres Kudacki/Getty Images; Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

AOC Has Democrats Applauding With Her Viral Reaction To Zohran Mamdani's Historic Win

New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had people nodding their heads after she opened up about why democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City mayoral election on Tuesday is so important for the country at large as well as for the future of the Democratic Party.

Mamdani successfully took on the establishment to become the first South Asian, first Muslim, and first millennial mayor-elect, running a campaign that focused predominantly on the city's affordability crisis and that successfully batted away racist and Islamophobic backlash from right-wingers who claimed his policies would "destroy" the city.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Mike Johnson
Fox News

Mike Johnson Gets A Swift Reality Check After Trying To Downplay The Election Results

House Speaker Mike Johnson was called out after displaying his clear denial over Tuesday night's election wins for Democrats, claiming that "no one should read too much into" the results despite major upsets.

Democrats won races around the country, particularly in Virginia, where Abigail Spanberger became the first woman to the win the governorship in the state's history, and in New York City, where Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, successfully took on the establishment to become the first South Asian, first Muslim, and first millennial mayor-elect.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man in a suit walking down the sidewalk and pulling a bag
person in black suit jacket with r ed bag walking beside metal fence
Photo by Romain V on Unsplash

People Who Quit Their Jobs On Day One Reveal What Made Them Say 'Nope, Not Doing This'

Every now and then, simply because we need money, we might take a job that doesn't fulfill us in any way, but at least keeps our bank accounts happy.

Some jobs, however, are so soul-sucking that even with no other prospects immediately on the horizon, we can't, in good conscience, keep working them.

Keep ReadingShow less