Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is apologizing for appearing in blackface in the mid-90s after weeks of criticism. The host also said that his summer vacation, which he recently announced, was pre-planned.
The star previously did a recurring impression of NBA player Karl Malone.
Kimmel began his statement by saying, “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 continued, “I never considered that this might be seen as anything other than an imitation of a fellow human being, one that had no more to do with Karl’s skin color than it did his bulging muscles and bald head. I’ve done dozens of impressions of famous people, including Snoop Dogg, Oprah, Eminem, Dick Vitale, Rosie, and many others.”
But Kimmel admitted that the sketches have become highly controversial, saying, “In each case, I thought of them as impersonations of celebrities and nothing more. Looking back, many of these sketches are embarrassing, and it is frustrating that these thoughtless moments have become a weapon used by some to diminish my criticisms of social and other injustices.”
He said that he feels that he has “evolved and matured” over the past two decades and that, “I know that this will not be the last I hear of this and that it will be used again to try to quiet me.”
Kimmel added”
“I love this country too much to allow that. I won’t be bullied into silence by those who feign outrage to advance their oppressive and genuinely racist agendas.”
In a statement, Jimmy Kimmel addresses his past use of blackface, writing, "I apologize to those who were genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke." pic.twitter.com/d5dTS0MkWg
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) June 23, 2020
The star is scheduled to take a summer vacation, but he claimed in his statement that the vacation has been “planned for more than a year and includes the next two summers off as well.”
He says that he will return to work in September.
