Harry Connick Jr.'s Mad TV Sketch: Blackface or Blackface-Adjacent?
Since we broke the news Stateside yesterday morning of Harry Connick Jr. being bamboozled on Australian TV by the Jackson Jive -- a Jackson parody act consisting of white men in Afros and black painted faces -- it's gone on to dominate headlines in Australia and abroad. It sparked another heated culture war right here on our own doorstep, too, with much sparring and name-calling lobbed about in our comments sections between the Jive apologists -- a very vocal minority who live in a colorblind utopia, where the application of black shoe polish to one's face is simply a testament to one's deep commitment to craft -- and the outraged, with some highly educational lessons about Australian history sprinkled in along the way.
Bolstering the apologists' cause was an unearthed sketch from a 1996 episode of Mad TV in which Harry impersonates a Southern preacher. Whether his skin tone was darkened for the sketch is open for debate, though the wig certainly suggests the kind of hair Chris Rock would like to corner for an interview. His pronunciation of the word "Christmas" as "Chrimmuh" certainly doesn't help matters, either.
The clip has quickly spread across continents as proof of Connick's hypocrisy, and the singer and actor defended it as such: "Those of you who have seen my shows or seen me in several comedic skits on TV know that I have absolutely no problem with comedic send-ups or making fun of myself or others."
· Harry Connick, Jr. on MadTV - Preachers Skit [YouTube]
· Previously: Harry Connick Jr. Clashes with Blackface Jackson Family on Aussie TV [Movieline]
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Comments
The MAD TV skit and the aussie one cannot be compared. Harry definitely did the right thing.
Good lord, this is stupid and really simple. As you get older, you should be getting wiser. Whether Connick did a questionably devisive comedy sketch on a lame cancelled show 13 years ago is beside the point. If this Mad TV sketch was from last year or yesterday, maybe it would matter more. He thought the MJ/Jackson 5 jive dance was offensive and said so. The host apologized. It should be the end of the discussion. When you've been dinged for something inappropriate, you either agree and try not to offend later, or you repeat it and face more scrutiny later.
It's a bit unnerving to consider all of the silent Australians who read Movieline just waiting for someone to call them out>
Then, from every direction, all at once, they ATTACK!!!
ah well, if only the australians would give their aboriginal countrymen access to the intranets, we may have had a balanced conversation....
In the old skit Harry was not in "black face"; He was actually doing a skit with someone who was from african-american descent. Two different examples. Harry did the right thing. This show was taped in another country! He stood up and let them know that wasn't cool. Leave the guy alone.
What's the big deal???? A group of white men were trying to act black via makeup. Michael Jackson was a black man who was trying to act like a white man via a dermatologist.
Harry is a real good guy and a Hero to black people. He has done so much for so many people. Leave Harry alone, he is a Hero and a credit to the American people. I am a black man and I love that cat because he is real and show black people nothing but respect. Love you Harry
Harry was in a skit with an african american in the other skit where as the australian group was all white and painted their faces jet black. The jackson jive skit was really offensive.
I think it scared me more that the Australians didn't have a problem with that. Is this country more racist than America. I need to take them off of my vacation list. They don't have any respect for anyone that isn't white.
It's 'internet' - and commenting from afar about the problems in Australia with indigenous people in such a way proves your complete misunderstanding of the issues. Aboriginals do have access to the internet. Moreover, they have access to vast amounts of government funding and tourism dollars (more so than any native American does from mob casino money per capita) which typically gets grossly unevenly distributed either supporting the high lifestyle of the minority or flushed down the toilet by the majority.
Nobody who has lived in remote Australia is under any illusion where the real problem is.
not only did he do the right thing, this is proof that he has learned from his own mistake and is eager to teach people that this is wrong. give him credit for growing as an individual and trying to help others do the same.
First, as stated by other respondants, Mr. Connick was not in black face in the MadTV skit. Second, even if Mr. Connick made an error in judgement in the MadTV skit and had appeared in black face, shouldn't we be congratulating him for recognizing the error of his ways and reprimmanding the Australian program?
I feel Mr. Connick made the right call. Those people critizing Mr. Connick may well need to take a look at their own perspective on racism in the world.
Mr. Connick is being critized for doing the right thing. What is wrong with this picture?????
Harry Connick has obviously grown up and learned from something that happened years ago....older, wiser and very class act! Get over it. What he did in the here and now....good move
There was nothing wrong with the skit and it wouldn't of got any different of a response in the U.S. Look at Robert Downey Jr. playing a black guy in Tropic Thunder. He was hilarous!!!
That's not a comment; THIS is a comment!
I do not find Harry's skit to be offensive, and I am an African-American. Harry was portraying a lighter-skinned black person, and was not trying to offend black people my making African features look exaggerated and darned near grotesque. Black people do not have a problem with white people portraying them as long it is done in a respectful manner like what has been done on Saturday live with white cast members playing Jesse Jackson and Barrack Obama. The Australian routine smacks of Al Jolsenism and it is downright racists and beyond offensive. I believe that they knew it and didn't care as the Australian audience would think that it was great because they have treated the aborigines like animals. Further, they had racist laws against Asian immigration right up until the 1970s. Make no mistake, this was deliberate and all I can say to the perpetrators is bring your butts to America and see what happens to you.
Thank you for your clarity. You are absolutely right. You should be a news anchor, attempting to sort out these circular stories. Keep it up.
That was funny. Really, it's not the interweb?
As an AA woman I agree he is fine and did the right thing. Very proud of him, even if the skit years ago had been perceived as offensive he's obviously grown. Are we always going to hold people accountable for past deeds or for current ones. Cheers to you Mr. Connick!!!
Can we for one second stop with this "I'm such a liberal white person I have to defend black people when someone says or does something semi-racist" nonsense!! Since when does one race or nationality need another one to stand up for them? I am so fed up with this ultra-liberal, get in your face, self-righteousness every time anyone so much as hints that there are differences between the races and nationalities. Despite the propaganda being fed our children, not everyone is the same and there are differences between black, white, yellow and red. Cultural and racial differences are a reality, to pretend there are none is to live in a Pollyanna world. But, my God, when are we going to grow up and stop acting like little children, throwing a hissy fit everytime someone says something we don't like. "Oh...he called me a name." or "he made fun of me."
Back when I was a kid black people weren't worried about someone making fun of them on stage..they were worried about being murdered in the streets for looking at a white woman. Today, interracial marriage is commonplace and accepted by the majority of Americans as normal. Things aren't perfect. Minorities and immigrants still face difficulties. But if we're going to make headlines about something racist, it should be about being denied equal employment opportunity, or equal housing opportunities, or equal rights to a good education.
But let's please stop this ultra politically correct nonsense of raising the roof everytime someone says something we don't like.
I'm 59 years old, an Italian-American. I've heard every Italian joke ever written and repeated quite a few of them myself. I've had my name made fun of since 1st grade. And I'm still alive and healthy.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me," unless I'm a mental wimp who lets them.
Maybe it's time we learn how to laugh at ourselves again.
There's a big difference between Harry's skit and that of the Australian's. At the time of Harry's skit his Afro is a trimmed cut in good taste where as the Australian's is nothing more than a stores Halloween wig, and Harry's color is a Puerto Rican tan or as Hispanics would say Mulatto(Tan) not shoe polish black which is the white offensive from Vaudeville era that lacks the white lips. There is nothing wrong with a white man playing a black man in good taste, when the opposite is done to.
This skit reminds me of when the Venezuelian's did a thing back on their national TV show which was outrageous and with white lips that the Hispanic world jumped on their necks.
Harry Connick was NOT IN BLACK FACE! Harry Connick didn't even appear to be portraying a black person! He was doing the skit.....wait for it....WITH BLACK PEOPLE! he seemed to be portraying a southern preacher like Billy Graham or something. Anyone who accuses him of being a hypocrit needs to stick their head out the window and breath some fresh air! And can we for one second stop with the "stop calling us out for being racists and just let us have our fun" nazi bullcrap? Since when does one race get to denigrate another with impunity? Since Jim Crow, that's when. And we're done with that. Some backwater, overall-wearering banjo-pluckers don't seem to understand that and need to be reminded until they figure it out.
you're right! Gay marriage for everyone.
I would like to say to Harry I am proud of you, not just as an American black woman, but as an American citizen. You have made a sister proud. May the heavenly Father keep you and your family safe from harm.
You hit the nail on the head Fran "are we ALWAYS going to hold people accountable for PAST deeds or for current ones"...
Geez aren't white American's still be held accountable for slavery when that happened way before any of us here now were born. Yes it sucks that it happened, and it was so very wrong.
Yet I am condemned to be called a racist, cause I'm white and didn't vote for Obama. ... You know white females were treated poorly too, heck it used to be acceptable, as well as expected, to beat your wife if she didn't obey...what the hell was that! I certainly don't hold all men living now accountable for that...it's in the past and we've moved forward. (**off my rant**)
With respect to the Australian show...shit happens...give them a break, if they made a mistake, give them the opportunity to correct it, rather than condemn them, and hate an entire country people!!!
From Fran | Reply
Posted 08 Oct 2009, 3:26 PM
As an AA woman I agree he is fine and did the right thing. Very proud of him, even if the skit years ago had been perceived as offensive he's obviously grown. "Are we always going to hold people accountable for past deeds or for current ones". Cheers to you Mr. Connick!!!
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