Billy Dee Williams’ Blackface Comments Spark Controversy & Twitter Isn’t Holding Back

Blackface isn’t something that happened decades ago and then stopped. There’s a tragically long list of modern media that utilize it, such as «The Office» needing to remove a controversial scene featuring a white actor with blackface. «The Office,» «30 Rock,» and many other shows have largely removed these episodes from streaming, but it’s still odd numerous creatives didn’t see a problem with it at the time. Billy Dee Williams is still okay with it, and many believe the Star Wars actor should probably stay out of this conversation. 

X users, including @JohnHPiette, see it as the end of the line for the performer, writing «Welp … legendary run,» alongside a GIF of the Looney Tunes «That’s All Folks» title card. A similar attitude was shared by @bumm89176090: «With all due respect [please] Billy Dee sit this one out, sir. [Thanks].» In contrast, other people on social media love what Williams had to say, but looking at their profile pictures, it’s clear they belong to a demographic that really shouldn’t have an opinion on who should be allowed to use blackface. While Williams would sell his soul to appear in a Star Wars movie again, some people may not welcome him back if he does.

Blackface has a racist history dating back to the 19th century when white performers would portray despicable Black stereotypes. Such minstrel shows influenced the way white audiences viewed the Black population, and such harm can still be felt to this day. Aversion to blackface isn’t something caused by modern political correctness, either. A review of Laurence Olivier’s «Othello,» which Williams praised, was negatively likened to an «American minstrel show» by Bosley Crowther in 1966 in The New York Times.