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
I get why people keep bringing up "Tropic Thunder", but it's sort of a dumb parallel. The entire point of the TT blackface was to make fun of the entire concept and history of blackface. There's a black character there the entire time, taking the piss out of Robert Downey Jr for being in blackface. There was comment in the film itself about blackface being inappropriate.
And I've lived in Australia. Don't make me laugh, you're less racist... I've seen the way you lot treat immigrants and Aboriginals. You may not have our history, but you've got your own brand of not-so-awesome.
Drew, your very own argument shows your ignorance and sadly reflects a number of our countrymen's views.
Not all Aboriginal people behave in the way you have described. Individuals do, but not the whole race.
The grim reality is that the indigenous have been expelled from their homes, instructed to live in the Western ways and have to deal with violent and social abuse when they have trouble coping. If they want to integrate with Australia's 2009 community, they should be helped in every way possible.
One of the richest countries in the world should have managed that in 200 years.
Just because people paint their faces to impersonate someone, doesn't mean they are racist. Those people performing I'm sure are definately not racists (as they are already from different cultures). And that skit doesn't have anything to do with the racism that happens in the real world. If they did something to indicate they didn't like something of another race, well then it would be relevant. But their skit was totally unracist.
Well done, Grace.
Just checking in to say that as I expected this is huge news today and everyone in the country is outraged. Even on lowest common denominator talk radio 99 percent of the people calling in are saying how shocked and amazed they are that something like this would happen.
The Australian's posting in this thread are in the minority.
OMG the skit segment is called RED FACES?? How offensive to our red skinned brothers and sisters. OH THE HUMANITY. BURN THEM!!!!
Harry Connick Jr, the hypocrite : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooKaCbMvaZ0
Also, funny that the media ignore the daily occurrences of similarly politically incorrect things on Japanese variety shows such as : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4QB7cHdVfs
Typical double standards, only western countries and white people can be racist, everyone else can insult white people as much as they want, ever seen a black comedians routine, it's an hour long insult-fest towards white people, but it's ok... Reverse the roles however, and it's 'racist'...
I also am amazed by the fact that the US is taking such a moral high ground, considering it has a television channel called BET (Black Entertainment Television) specifically designed to cater to a single racial audience, is that not racist? What about Hollywood producing movies such as 'White Chicks' where two black actors 'white up' and play some white girls...
How about a man called Kamau Kamon, on C-Span, saying that we need to 'exterminate white people' : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_61OoR-qEqs
I wonder where crusader Harry 'hypocrite' Connick Jr was when these things occured?
Eek. I'm embarrassed to call myself Australian reading through these comments. It was an extraordinarily stupid thing for these educated men to do and a woefully ignorant decision by the producers to OK the act. Apparently members of the group have come out this morning apologising profusely, but still wanting to take full responsibility by pointing their finger at the Hey Hey producers and saying, "well, we did question whether it would be offensive and they gave it the green light...".
All in all, I think Ben hit the nail on the head with his comments regarding many of these fools landing here via google.
Anand Deva played Michael Jackson in the skit - and that's not an Aussie name. It's a name more from the sub-continent (India, Asia for the uninformed)
So are you all going to throw your hands in the air because a non-white person portrayed a white person on television - or are you going to be self-selective and look at the impersonation of black people.
That is how stupid this debate and this reaction has become - in the same skit a person with origins in Asia can portray a white person but you miss the point entirely through seeing only black
It's comedy not racism and as one person (a British African in Australia) wrote on this site - the US has more incidents of racism on a daily basis than Australia would in a decade.
Australians will always see judgement as sounding better coming from a nation who don't provide adequate health cover for everyone (Australia does irrespective of social status, colour or religion) and here your kids could die at school because of some deadbeat with easily accessed daddy's gun.
The US has the worst violence culture in the western world and yet you scream morality when Janet Jackson flashes a bit of tit on tv.
Americans don't understand the world outside CNN, Fox News, Hollywood and McDonalds - so please don't try now. Unless you understand Australian humour (I sure as hell don't understand the loud brash crappy American comedy), then don't judge.
When the US is a perfect nation and not one of double standards and self righteousness - then judge others. Because no matter what you pull off the web on aboriginal communities - Australia will never be as racist (or as ignorant) as the US.
Oh my God there was a guy with a white painted face. I'm white! I'm offended!
Jess wrote:" These guys were impersonating the Jackson Five because they are a famous musical group, not because they are black,"
Then these guys should have use brown makeup.
Cheers to Harry Connick Jr for taking a stand.
...still NOT wanting to take full responsibility...that should've read.
Don’t twist my words. I never said it was a 'good cause', I acknowledge the pain it caused thousands of people, but in some cases there was a genuine humanitarian need to remove these children (not all of Aboriginal descent).
My post was in reference to your claim that these children were then forced to work as ‘free help’. That is not true.
To Ohmyohmy Your ignorance of Australian history is embarassing ! For instance segregated black and white bars were all over the country and not just in a few places "up north"!! I suggest as a starting point to educating yourself more accurately would be to read "Blood on the Wattle" by Bruce Elder
The comments just got worse as the day went on, and most of the most ignorant and "I'm-not-racist!" ones came from Australians who bizarrely are defending something that is on-its-face racist. I guess that the United States doesn't have a monopoly on hideous stupidity on the Internet.
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.”
So you need "to not make black people look like buffoons". That implies they do act like buffoons, is Coonick now the racist?
What about the movie 'White Chicks' where two African Americans (what a BS term, you are Americans, period) dress up like white chicks. Is this not the same racism flipped?
Americans and particularly black Americans are a whiny, wimpy bunch. Harden The F*ck Up America.
I as an Australian have visited the US for many years my last visit was last week - Harry go back to your country and tell your fellow white Americans to act with some cutisy and civility and compassion to your fellow black Americans - it is heartbreaking to see the way that the black Americans are treated - one daysit will all come back to you white Americans!!!!!!!
"So you need "to not make black people look like buffoons". That implies they do act like buffoons, is Coonick now the racist?"
I hope like hell that was a slip of the tongue (or finger) regarding Connick's name, Peter. Other than that, everything you said zooms straight to the top of the trophy list for 'dumb things Aussies say' on this issue.
To assume that because someone is "Indian" and therefore "dark" equates to black is, sir, you idiot, racist.
If this is the way it is going then I demand a public apology from the Wayans brothers for their movie 'White Chicks'.
Mate, blackface is living in the past.
The rest of the developed world moved on from that oh, thirty years ago.
Just chalk it down to a cultural misunderstanding. We just love to take the piss out of each other and not take it to heart, it's just one of the ways we use humour to facilitate understanding between each of our cultures.
Yeah, white people are the only racist people on the planet...
Maybe you shouldn't invite an an American singer/actor from Louisiana to judge what to him was a blackface routine. Then, you could have had your skit without the controversy. Harry is obviously sensitive to the issue of race, as it can be a major issue in the United States. I can take a joke, and Harry probably can too, but if he didn't address what he saw as a problem on the show, the American talk shows would have lambasted him as a racist for not sticking up for what he saw a wrong. And, if the skit was any good, the joke would have carried a lot further. They didn't mimic the Jackson 5, they covered their face in black, and wore afros. None of the Jackson 5 are or were extremely dark complected, so why choose black. This wasn't even an accurate caricature.
Liz,
You ignorance of Australian history is stunning, but sadly indicative of the ignorance of the true history of Australia. The White Australia Policy, the so called "Aboriginal Protection Acts", the fact Aboriginal people weren't granted citizenship until 1967, the kidnapping of men and women from Melanesia to work as forced labour on the canefields and so attest to your ignorance.
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