Every year for Halloween, the controversy seems to rear its ugly head - white Americans post photos from costume parties of their friends, or of themselves, dressed in blackface. They wanted to be Beyonce, or Diana Ross.
Instead, a painful debate about the history of race in America that is more than a century in the making is revived.
US journalist Megyn Kelly got fired over it. After she made comments on air that appeared to condone the use of blackface in Halloween costumes, a major backlash ensued, and she lost her NBC talk show.
The problematic custom dates back to about 1830, and so-called minstrel shows where white performers caked their faces in greasepaint or shoe polish and drew on exaggerated lips.
Blackface is racist. I don't care how well intentioned you are.
Kelechi Okafor (@kelechnekoff) October 28, 2018
Why do white people not understand that it's A : not hard to avoid blackface and B : that it's literally not effecting your life in any way, shape or form having people find it racist. What are YOU losing from it not being acceptable :/ ?
Jaye (@Jayesophine) October 30, 2018
The stereotypes portrayed - that blacks were somehow inferior, ignorant, lazy and even animalistic - cemented racist attitudes for decades. Some of those images still exist today.
Blackface was used to depict African Americans as not human, to justify and normalize and sanction violence, David Leonard, a professor at Washington State University who has written extensively on the subject, told AFP.
A well-known white actor in minstrel shows, Thomas Rice, popularised the form. One of his characters was Jim Crow' - he claimed to have been inspired by a slave who was handicapped.
AND WITHOUT BLACKFACE !!! SEE HOW EASY IT IS !!! https://t.co/RumxXIFwj4
Misster Quad (@KingShady__) October 28, 2018
Who was in charge of sending out the White House all staff email reminding the administration not to show up in blackface Halloween costumes tomorrow?
Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) October 31, 2018
The name later was attached to laws that codified racial segregation in the United States. The history of blackface is one of violence, one of demonization, one of racism, Leonard said.
Terrible mistake' Despite the recurring controversies about the use of blackface, Kelly slammed what she called the costume police on the 23 October live episode of Megyn Kelly Today in a segment about Halloween outfits.
I mean, truly political correctness has gone amok. There are strict rules on what you may and may not wear issued by someone who thinks they're the boss of you, said Kelly, who is white.
This year, the costume police are cracking down like never before, she added, one week before the annual festivities for Halloween, which is celebrated on Wednesday.
What is racist? Because, truly, you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween.
It was not her first controversial comments about race. In 2013, when she was a news anchor at Fox, Kelly sparked anger when she said that Santa Claus and Jesus Christ were white.
Her latest comments sparked outrage, online and within her own workplace.
While she apologized to the staff, she owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country, said veteran NBC weatherman Al Roker, who is black.
Gayle King, a black news presenter at CBS, said: She made a terrible mistake.
Her apology came quickly but the damage was done - and compounded by her falling ratings. Three days after the original comments, Megyn Kelly Today was pulled from the air, not to return.
Also Read: Are today's white kids less racist than their grandparents?
My white nephew went to school as Jackie Robinson, without blackface. pic.twitter.com/H7F7izDPku
Cheryl Raye Stout (@Crayestout) October 31, 2018
Everyday racism' For Leonard, Kelly's comments are only a symptom of a bigger problem - the persistent denial on the part of many Americans of an unseemly part of their history, and entrenched white privilege.
It's a refusal to confront the history of racism in this country and refusing how race matters today. We as white people should be listening to African Americans who say this hurts, this injures, this causes not only emotional pain but it has consequences. Those consequences are felt in everyday racism but also in persistent inequalities.
The university professor said the current political climate is not helpful in resolving such issues, especially with a president - Donald Trump - who continues to leverage a white grievance politics.
Look at that. No Blackface. It can be done .. and done WELL!! This is AWESOME! #ComingToAmerica #NoBlackfaceHalloween pic.twitter.com/3n5fOzomGb
Tracie Thoms (@traciethoms) October 29, 2018
The controversy over blackface bleeds into other issues, like the simmering debate over Confederate statues and monuments, and whether they should remain standing or be removed.
This should be the beginning of a conversation. We must have a reckoning in this country, said black political commentator Roland Martin, who was invited onto Kelly's show the day after her comments.
You can dress up like Diana Ross. Just don't put no damn black paint on your face, he added, referring to a cast member of The Real Housewives of New York who wore a giant wig and darker make-up.
Luann de Lesseps later apologised, saying the make-up was tanning cream and saying: I didn't mean to offend anyone.
As for a Missouri woman who posted a photo of herself in blackface as Beyonce, she was fired from her job as a hospital nurse.
Tags: halloweenracismracistUnited States
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
Every year for Halloween, the controversy seems to rear its ugly head - white Americans post photos from costume parties of their friends, or of themselves, dressed in blackface. They wanted to be Beyonce, or Diana Ross.
