Jimmy Fallon took Twitter to apologize for the mistake he made during Saturday Night Live, which he performed in 2000. He agreed to make a bad decision to impersonate Chris Rock and coloring his own face black to do that.
Fallon also mentions in his tweet that the act was "unquestionably offensive" and thanked his fans for holding him accountable after the clip was resurfaced on the internet. Fallon, 45, enacted the role of Everybody Hates Chris sitcom creator in this sketch with his fellow cast Darrell Hammond, who played Regis Philbin character.
The sketch was based on the reason why black folks don't visit shows like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. As per Variety, the sketch went viral on the internet on May 25 with #jimmyfallonisoverparty hashtag.
Although Guys with Kids star immediately shared his apology on Twitter, SNL hasn't issued any statement yet. Neither Hammond made a comment or Chris, who has been a part of these sketch series till 1993.
Given that, the clip has been surfaced over the internet before but this is the first time Fallon acknowledged his mistake. Back in 2019, rapper and actor Nick Cannon came on Instagram and asked for apologies. Love Don't Cost a Thing actor called it “Happy ‘BLACKFACE’ History Month!!!” while asking for acknowledgment of the act.
Besides that, Fallon has always been quite outspoken about fighting against racism. In a monologue, 2017, setting all his jokes aside the Almost Famous actor spoke about white-supremacist with the audience in a serious tone that held in Charlottesville, Virginia during 'Unite the Right'.
“What happened over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia was just disgusting,” Fallon said. “I was watching the news like everyone else, and you’re seeing Nazi flags and torches and white supremacists and I was sick to my stomach.”
The comedy show host has always urged his audience to stand against any injustice and denounce white supremacists and racists, especially after the Heather Heyer incident that took place in 2017. In the past, he has been vocal about how he believes it is important to stand up against extremism and intolerance. He encouraged his fans, especially Americans who are white to speak against racism and told ignoring would be as good as supporting the wrong act.
After his apology on Twitter and acknowledging the issue, the comedian is trying to do his best to match the standards he has set for himself during his career.