Actress Amy Schumer came under fire for her video in which she seemed to parody Beyoncé’s single “Formation.” However, the comedian said she had Bey and Jay Z’s blessing to release the clip.
In a blog posted on Medium Thursday, Schumer proclaimed the video’s exclusive premiere on Jay’s Tidal music streaming service was done with permission.
“Of course I had Beyoncé and Jay Z’s approval,” the actress said. “They released it on Tidal exclusively for the first 24 hours.”
She also insisted the clip was not a parody at all.
“It was NEVER a parody,” Schumer wrote. “It was just us women celebrating each other. The video Beyoncé made was so moving and I wouldn’t ever make fun of that. There is absolutely no way to.”
Schumer filmed the clip dancing along with Goldie Hawn, Wanda Sykes and other female cast and crew of her new film Mother/Daughter. As the group worked on the movie in Hawaii, Schumer explained they bonded over listening to Bey’s album Lemonade.
“Lemonade brought us all together,” the comedian wrote. “We listened to the album and danced every day, always making everyone feel better no matter what we were going through.”
Schumer said she “did not mean to detract any of the meaning” from the original video. She added she felt “horrified and sickened” by the images of police brutality Bey showcased.
“[I] didn’t see this as minimizing that and still don’t,” she continued. “It was a way to celebrate bringing us all together. To fight for what we all want. And to do it together.”
However, The Root criticized Schumer’s display as exposing the problem with white feminism. It stated the advocation problematically takes pleasure in the works of Black female culture to support the cause. Because of that, it disrespects Black women as people.
White feminism essentially encourages Black women to speak up for themselves but ignores the systemic impact their race has on social interactions. Additionally, the article states, Schumer’s clip places herself – a white woman – at the center of discussions held by Black women.
