Don Lemon ripped into Megyn Kelly on his show last night after her comments yesterday morning about how she doesn’t believe white people wearing blackface is racist.
During a round-table conversation on the TODAY show about Halloween costumers, Kelly claimed that blackface was “OK when I was a kid as long as you were dressing like a character” and said she doubted whether blackface was actually racist.
“What is racist?” she said. “Because you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface on Halloween.”
Related: Megyn Kelly has harsh words for Jane Fonda… too bad she’s too scared to say them to her face
How about we take this to the next level?
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On his show last night, Lemon broke it down for Kelly (and anyone else who still doesn’t seem to understand) why it’s not OK for white people to paint their skin to look like black people.
“Megyn is 47 years old,” Lemon said. “There has never been a time in her 47 years that blackface has been acceptable.”
He continued:
This is what people of the larger culture don’t understand about racism and about privilege. I don’t know of many black people who are trying to be white people for Halloween or dressing up as white people but I know a lot of people who do it as black people … I think people really need to educate themselves about this particular issue, and we need to realize in this culture that some people do have a privilege where they don’t have to think about it. It does not exist to them.
Kelly later apologized for her remarks, saying that, upon further reflection, she now realizes why blackface is unacceptable.
On this morning’s show, she started off by saying, “I want to begin with two words: I’m sorry.”
She went on to say “I have never been a PC kind of person” but that she learned from the backlash over her comments that “it is not OK for (blackface) to be part of any costume, Halloween or otherwise.”
Just to make sure none of her white viewers felt too triggered by all the uncomfortable talk about race, Kelly said it’s also not OK for “a black person [to make] their face lighter.”
Because that’s a real problem.
"I want to begin with two words, I'm sorry..The country feels so divided and I have no wish to add to that pain and offense. I believe this is a time for more understanding, more love, more sensitivity and honor..Thank you for listening and for helping me listen too." Megyn Kelly pic.twitter.com/6hHrvZLNvK
— Megyn Kelly TODAY (@MegynTODAY) October 24, 2018
And the crowd went wild. Kelly received a standing ovation from the studio audience. One person went so far as to shout encouragingly “We love you!”
You can take the girl outta FOX News, but you can’t take FOX News outta the girl.
Related: Everyone hates Megyn Kelly, according to new popularity poll
queerty02
Obviously she said what she said deliberately. The fact that this woman is on NBC still astounds me.
G-Man
I totally agree with you and I find it extremely hard to believe that she actually didn’t know better the woman is a joke.
jakejacob
I can’t believe the biased NBC would hire her in the first place. NOw, they’re exposed as truly biased for firing her. Bye gurl.
Ronbo
As a pretty person, I object to ugly people wearing makeup. “Pretty face” is an attempt to hijack the natural order. s/
Consider that the loudest voices objecting to “blackface” have historically been racists who seek to elevate white culture while demeaning the contributions of minorities. Ask any skinhead or tRump supporter.
Polaro
Black face used to be racist. Now it is just a PC thing, like so many PC things that drive me crazy. Sorry, at some point we need to leave this stuff behind. If a person wants to dress up like Michael Jackson or Aretha Franklin, let them (I really want to dress up like Aretha, damn it).
That is where people like Megan are coming from. We have bigger problems then this. Focus people. I can think of a dozen things this moral outrage and pearl clutching should be focused on besides Megan Kelly and her Halloween agenda.
Kangol
Nope, it’s still racist. And this is the same woman who claimed that black Santas shouldn’t exist because Santa Claus was white, but then was defending blackface and racist appropriation. She’s beyond stupidly racist and absurd to boot. Girl, bye!
DCguy
I always crack up when people try to excuse bad behavior by saying “We have bigger problems than this”.
By that logic, we shouldn’t prosecute burglary because people have been murdered.
G-Man
It is still racist and until you’ve had someone discriminate against you and make fun of your entire race with blackface for decades you have no right to just excuse it as some frivolous PC issue.
surreal33
“Used to be racist” please have several seats as you are clueless, always will be clueless and used to be ignorant.
Rock-N-RollHS
She was responding to someone impersonating Diana Ross. Sounds like a lot a drag queens soon to be fired from their gigs. I’m going as Clarence Thomas this Halloween! Can’t wait!
Juanjo
Sorry, Polaro but your attempt to explain away blackface doesn’t work. Blackface has a long history in the persecution of Black folks in the USA. It comes from the minstrel shows which started in the 1820’s and 1830’s in the USA and which had Caucasian actors dressed in blackface who then acted in stereotypical fashions used to make fun of Black folks. In fact, Jim Crow, the name used to identify the segregation laws used in the USA, is the name of a minstrel character from those shows.
I am old enough to remember the Amos & Andy shows among other film shorts and cartoons used to carry on the same stereotypes. To dress in blackface and parade around is just another bit of nastiness certain people use to demean Black folks and perpetuate stereotypes to justify their racism toward Black folks.
Rock-N-RollHS
@ DCguy. Except, analogy more like if you have 5 cops and 4 are spending all their time on the burglary and only 1 is on the murder. There is clearly a lot on energy spent on identity politics while globe burns, literally and figuratively. American left has become a group of self-righteous narcissists cataloging every slight and grievance. I’m sure the black kid in the ghetto is really concerned with blackface while he can’t even find a job or good education and has to worry he’s going to be shot by a drug dealer or rogue cop.
Franklin
A black kid the ghetto? Please, don’t act like you’re concerned, because most the time when people like you seem to bring up issues effecting poor black people it is only when you can use them to shut down discussion of other issues, much like you are doing now. People are quite capable of multitasking. As far as energy, it takes zero effort to not be a racist douche and blacken your face, yet some people seem to have the most difficulty with not doing it and I don’t get why.
startenout
Speaking for many of us black kids from “the ghetto,” NO we don’t want you to nor will we ever condone you using black face as a costume. You don’t NEED to be Aretha; be Carole King. You don’t NEED to be Michael Jackson; be Freddie Mercury or Justin Timberlake.
To be clear: AS LONG AS SYSTEMIC RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS IN THIS COUNTRY, DO NOT PRETEND TO BE ONE OF US. It’s funny that the people least likely to have any black friends or personally know any black people are the ones who feel fine using us as a costume.
Polaro
Ah, the clueless masses of pearl clutchers. So easily is your attention swayed from real issues. Next you’ll be mad because someone says they would never be caught dead dressing as a black person. A dumb, PC, left-wing nonsense issue. Fell free to get your panties in a wedge while they suppress minority voters and you say and do nothing.
Ronbo
I now go to the beach to help save white people from their racist “tan” activities. It’s sickening how racist white people can be trying to steal our dark and lovely skin tones.
kofender
Excuse me, but I’m 64 years old, and in my lifetime blackface has NEVER been considered acceptable; it was always depicted as racist claptrap (or worse). So, her comment is complete and total bull. She ONLY apologized because of the backlash. Once a racist Fox personality, always a racist personality, no matter what channel she’s on now.
Mick406
It’s Don Lemon we should be concerned with. She is a shit stirrer.
Onecaddy13
Agree. Don Lemon has become bolder since she came out. He’s totally biased in every sense of the word, but hides behind his gayness. Everything is racist to him and the many other hacks at CNN. I was once a hard core CNN viewer just over 2 years ago until they became so biased, lied on air, aired news with stories not fact checked and then walked back. And Don, you were part of the embarrassment. Remember the big black hole theory? Well, why don’t you just jump in it. Everybody negatively commenting should say, “bye gurl” to you.
cynicalsteve
@Polaro , gurl please. Sit your tired ass down. These Russian bots are just amazing…
Polaro
Not a Russian, just think this has gone too far. Don’t like my opinion, too bad. It is still the US, for now. Kind of funny all this attention over someone dressing up like a black person. Actually, it’s hysterical. Not keeping me up at night.
Franklin
You can dress up like a black person, just don’t blacken your face to do it. It’s hysterical how people want to do it so bad. Why? What’s the obsession with it?
Ronbo
How’s the koolaide? Do you also scream “Benghazi!” when told?
If you believe nonsense like “Russians hacked the election”; you probably don’t understand freedom of speech. Can you understand how rare it is that propaganda leads to the truth? Two lies don’t lead to the truth.