Australian TV Channel Apologizes For Blackface Jackson 5 Parody
From MTV News:
An Australian TV channel has apologized for airing a skit in which a group of singers dressed in blackface to parody the Jackson 5, according to The Australian newspaper.
Harry Connick Jr. was serving as a guest judge during Wednesday’s airing of “Hey Hey It’s Saturday” and reacted strongly to the act, which showcased four men in wigs and black face-paint singing and dancing alongside a Michael Jackson impersonator caked in white makeup. The group’s name was the Jackson Jive.
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A spokesman for Channel 9, which carries the program, said in a brief statement, “It was never intended to offend and we regret any offense [the act] caused.”
According to The Associated Press, at the end of the show, host Daryl Somers apologized to Connick. “I know that to your countrymen, that’s an insult to have a blackface routine like that on the show, so I do apologize to you,” he said.
NewsOne / Thanks Joy C!