Hollywood actress Nia Long has clarified her controversial “Blackfamous” comments last month on a recent episode of The Daily Show.
The black actress – who stars alongside Eddie Murphy on Netflix’s You People – told Daily Show guest host Wanda Sykes that she’s trying to say that shared cultural references to “black films” “continue to divide “. society along racial lines.
Long noting that she’s proud to be a black actress and that she understands “the experience” of being black in America, she urged “unity,” understanding and acceptance across racial lines.
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Actress Mia Long sat down with The Daily Show guest host Wanda Sykes and explained her December “Blackfamous” statement. (Screenshot/YouTube)
Towards the end of the interview with Long, which aired on Comedy Central Wednesday night, Sykes said, “Okay, I have to ask you something real quick. I have to ask you something because I know how to headline it, right? Where you said, ‘Black movies and Blackfamous are just holding us back.’”
Spicyly, the comedian asked, “You want to clear that shit up?” An amused Long laughed and replied, “Well, that’s not spelled right.” Sykes added, “They know how it goes because they take a headline and make something out of it.”
Long’s original comments appeared in a December interview with BuzzFeed. The outlet reported, “Movies with a predominantly Black cast are often categorized as ‘Black films’ rather than by their genre (such as drama or comedy), while other films — with the exception of international films — are not subject to the same categorization.”
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Nia Long speaks onstage during EBONY Power 100 at Milk Studios Los Angeles on October 29, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images for EBONY MEDIA GROUP)
Noting how Long grappled with the notion, BuzzFeed said, “I think terms like that hold us back. And sometimes I have to catch myself too, because I’m very proud of who I am.”
Long added, “When I use the word ‘Black,’ I don’t use it to separate us from anyone — I use it to put an exclamation point after our greatness because I don’t think that it’s always been celebrated and recognized.” .”
Sykes invited her to explain things again in front of the cable TV audience. Long jokingly addressed the crowd and said, “For the white folks in the audience!” She then said, “What I mean by that is if we keep practicing this idea of separatism, we keep dividing.” The audience applauded her statement.
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The actress added, “And I’ll always and always have my fist up because I understand the experience, but I also believe that the more we understand each other and the more we accept each other, this thing called art should be representative of us.” Everyone.”
Satisfied, Sykes thanked the actress and ended the interview.
Nia Long and Ime Udoka attend the BET’s 2017 American Black Film Festival Honors Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 17, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)
Gabriel Hays is Associate Editor at Fox News Digital.