Harry Connick Jr. Clashes with Blackface Jackson Family on Aussie TV
Apparently enough time had elapsed since Michael Jackson's death that a cheeky comic tribute to him and the Jackson 5 seemed in good taste. At least it seemed that way a troupe of Aussie TV performers, who rounded out last night's performance as the "Jackson Jive" in full-on blackface. The crowd ate it up, but an American judge who knew better ground the show to a halt until somebody apologized. Video after the jump.
It wasn't supposed to be like this for Harry Connick Jr. or the iconic Aussie variety series Hey Hey It's Saturday, for whom the midweek show represented a much-anticipated reunion special. But there they were: The Jackson Jive, all Afro wigs and black face paint, led by their late superstar brother, Michael, done up with a pasty clown visage and aviator sunglasses. Not cool, said Connick: "If they turned up looking like that in the United States, it'd be like Hey Hey There's No More Show," the crooner spat, giving the group a score of zero in the episode's mock-talent competition. (The Aussie judge beside him was much more forgiving, allowing for a smile and a 7.)
The host brought Connick -- who'd appeared on the show before -- back out after the break for an official mea culpa: "I know that to your countrymen, that's an insult to have a blackface routine like that on the show, so I do apologize." Connick thanked him, adding, "I know it was done humorously, but we've spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that, we take it really to heart." As if this weren't the year two-thousand-and-freaking-nine. "If I knew that was going to be part of the show, I probably - I definitely - wouldn't have done it."
Our Aussie moles tipped us to the full video below, but feel free to skip ahead to 2:15 if cringeworthy ethnic tone-deafness is NSFW, or if you just want Connick's priceless reaction, or both.
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Comments
The American public were so outraged over Robert Downey's recent blackface routine he was given an Academy award nomination. Fair dinkum the hypocrisy is pathetic!
I am an Aussie and love hey Hey its Saturday the thing you guys forgot to mention in your story was that these guys that did their skit on HHIS simply re-enacted the same skit that they did when they were first on the show which was 20 yrs ago. apologies to anyone who was upset by the skit yet it wasn't done to offend.
Timmy Edgar
You are actually wrong it wasn't after the break that the apology was given it was at the end of the show. There was nothing sinister in this SKIT. To Australian's who never did the kinds of racist things American's did to the African people(the people you treated as slaves!) A lot of Aussies know nothing about this 'blackfacing' to us, they were dressing up like the Jackson 5. Not dissing them for being black. If the Jackson 5 were orange they'd have gone out wearing orange faces. Don't bring your American guilt over to Australia!
If a black person painted there face white, would we care? No. Get over yourselves. If you want to let your guilt go, then go and help out your fellow (African)Americans, don't go treating the rest of the world harshly because you were/are racists.
It was singing and dancing, until Harry brought the race card into it, no-one was even thinking it.
Oh and by the way the "American judge" did NOT ground the show to a halt, who ever told you that was full of .... Watch something before you comment eh?
Harry Harry Harry.This is Australia and red faces is a skitt segment this was an impersonation not discrimination .You now have one less fan because of your mis reading of the situation.The week before a kid put vegemite all over himself was he pretending to be black also. Get a life Harold.
Harry should pull his head in
I can't believe this, it was a skit which wasn't attacking the Jackson Family, it was purely mimicking them. It wasn't about race at all. To mimic the Jackson Family, you have to present something which actually looks like what they were taking off.
Watch the whole show.
Personally, I'm surprised that the world isn't up in arms because they mentioned Khamal!
Hey World,
One thing you will have to learn about Australians...we call life like it is.
If the Jackson 5 were a famous band and they had blue skin, then so the viewer had a fair idea who the performance was about along with the necessary visual queues, then the group would have blue painted skin. It's not a judgment, a bias or a put down...it's what the human eye sees.
While Americans have tried to suppress word that people cannot use, they now what to suppress colours! Any sounds or tastes that offend you USA? Oh, we'll hide them away too. *rolls eyes*
America should stop worrying about closing down colours and words and start worrying about how it's easier to get a gun than it is to get decent free health care.
The land of the free?
What's free over there?
Words come with baggage, colours come with baggage, and the poor sleep in the streets with their baggage.
Harry Connick should be thankful SOMEONE gave him some exposure!
Harry is an American Southern Boy. This comes with baggage. I for one am happy to see that he is the type to have processed that baggage in such a way as to be grossed out by this, rather than finding it funny. it makes me remember that I thought he was v. attractive like 10 years ago.
Chalk it up to an innocent cultural difference that we can all learn from. Y'all.
Can all the Australian's who have simply found this via Google maybe, oh, shut the fuck up?
As an Australian who comes to this site everyday, you are embarrassing me.
To everyone else, this show is for a specific demographic. Harry Conick was too kind (if a bit condescending) in presenting this as though it were merely a case of cultural differences at work. The implication of that position is that all Australians are backward, tone deaf morons, as opposed to just the people on screen (and the mouth breathers posting in this thread).
The majority of people in my country will be horrified when they see this tomorrow morning on the news.
...Now I know how the French must feel about this Polanski thing.
Oh please Australians. Just as white Americans did terrible things to African slaves, you guys did horrific and unspeakable things to Aboriginals. No one comes out of this smelling like roses. And don't try to pretend like Harry is some sort of overly politically correct pansy. The real pansies are people like you who're too cowardly to admit that dark skin and black hair and non-Caucasian facial features are all things to be mocked in Australia. Remember you are the country that goes around attacking, beating and killing young Indian students who pay your universities good money.
Face it, Australians. You have contempt for dark skin and hair. You're the pansies. Not Harry Connick. It takes guts to speak up for what one believes even in a room full of people who disagree with you.
Ask an Aboriginal person if he or she found that skit funny. But that would be way too politically correct for you, wouldn't it?
I'm not sure what's more astounding--the actions depicted by the vile clowns in the video or the comments defending them.
I wonder if these ersatz protectors of "comedy" would be so outspoken in the case of, say, a skit that depicted an entire country as the descendants of prison rape.
What about Rabbit Proof Fence? Or Babakiueria?
Lets put this into perspective ok yes there is a racial issue in the states and yes some ppl to this day still discriminate against a person because of their creed or colour this also happens in Australia to this day as well. I think what the issue here is that HCJ felt obliged to say something which he did, and I respect that yet in saying that I also feel that HJC felt obliged to say something because a major part of his core fan base are jazz loving African Americans so if at the very least he is protecting his income. Good work Harry ya gronk
Timmy
Oh Metroville.
That cut deep, man.
How I wish we didn't deserve it.
*Cries*
And I on the other hand have a newfound respect for HC Jr. as an American and a "Black American". Yes, Australia, you too are guilty of racism -- not just White America! Do your research... http://www.antar.org.au/node/221 (one example).
@timmy the Australian:
There is "a racial issue" in Australia?
Have you talked to any of the Aboriginal people in Australia? Do you give a rat's ass about them? Does anybody in Australia acknowledge their pain and suffering? Or is that too politically correct and unmanly for you?
This goes way beyond "a racial issue".
Timmy,
I told you to shut the fuck up.
...I feel like I'm gonna be here all night.
PS. What is a gronk?
Ben you say we are embarrassing you well I am sorry mate that you are feeling a little embarrassed over this thread but you must agree being Australian that the skit at the seat of this fire was in no way discriminative towards the Jackson family or to Black people of any background everyone needs to simmer down a bit and realise that it was harmless and the people jumping up and down about it from both sides [that includes me] are the ones adding fuel to what really isn't worth all this attention. So on that note good night and apologies to anyone who felt offended.
Timmy Edgar
Interesting, Liz (an Aussie ) says " Australian's who never did the kinds of racist things American's did to the African people(the people you treated as slaves!).... Don't bring your American guilt over to Australia!"
The fact that for hundreds of years Aussies enslaved and murdered native (black) aborigines in that country has already been forgotten?
It is sad how all over the Western world (including the USA) cultures have so quickly rewritten their histories to conceal the fact that slavery, and ethnic cleansing in one form or another was a reality in all of Europe and the USA (if not within the countries themselves, then within the countries' colonies thought the world).
I suppose that Liz and other young people in Western countries will be even more shocked to know that slavery and ethnic abuses are not just a reality in their own nation's past, but are still going on today.
Here is a link with more info about slavery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafficking_in_human_beings
About ethnic cleansing:
http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/61098.xml&style
Educate yourselves!!
db
The guy is a dick, I am sure not all Americans will find that rude. Just HIM and the nutters.
Any way take a look at what Australia's only search engine is doing - http://www.bonush.com they have a Bring back Hey Hey it's Saturday Campaign.
did Harry Connick boycott the recent Hollywood blockbuster movie Tropic Thunder because Robert Downey Jnr painted his face black and talked in his best Uncle Tom accent to portray an African American..
OR DID HE GO ALONG TO THE PREMIERE AND LAUGH HIS ARSE OFF WITH EVERYONE ELSE
The hypocrisy is pathetic
The American public were so outraged over Robert Downey's recent blackface routine he was given an Academy award nomination.
I found that particular Act uncomfortable to watch because the man, Michael Jackson, has not that long ago, passed away :(. Yes I'm an Aussie, and yes I love Hey Hey, BUT how they let that one pass into the Show is beyond me - it's just not respectful, in my humble opinion. But, as in many walks of life, there are bound to be many things that make us cringe as individuals ... let's not turn this into a disrespectful low blows slanging match here, eh Guys? Peace ....
I'm thinking Liz probably isn't so much of a cinephile.
Do you have nothing better to do? Really?
Couldn't you be impregnating a farm animal somewhere?
Are you just sitting on google looking for this stuff so you can write as many unintelligible, grammatically incorrect rants about it as possible, all over the internet?
It was racist! What don't you understand? The whole joke was that they had painted themselves black! They didn't even have the courtesy to REHEARSE from what I can tell, because they thought the mere fact of painting themselves with SHOE POLISH was THAT hilarious.
Just... argh... FUCK. OFF.
The Downey stuff was satirising people exactly like YOU. They even made the character AUSTRALIAN. Because of retarded, ignorant AUSTRALIAN RACISTS LIKE YOU.
*Brain explodes*
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