CNN Guest Fearlessly States the Real Reason Some Black Folks are Up in Arms About Larry Wilmore’s N-Word Joke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK7k5kJEmxE

 

Last night, CNN‘s Don Lemon discussed the controversy surrounding comedian Larry Wilmore’s use of the n-word at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with activist and writer April Reign and SiriusXM host Joe Madison.

During Saturday’s dinner, Wilmore told the president: “Yo, Barry. You did it, my n*gga.”

However, many people saw the use of the racial slur as a sign of disrespect. Former attorney Sunny Hostin voiced her opposition to the joke on on The View, and Madison has joined her. He posed the question to the panelists and Lemon: “Can you imagine if the k-word would have been used to describe Bernie Sanders?”

Reign dismissed the outrage and said “the white gaze” is not any of her concern. She also said it was pretty clear Obama “appreciated what Larry Wilmore said.”

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top