14 Black Celebs Who Are No Longer Invited to the Cookout and Why

Lil Wayne: The Rapper Who Thinks Racism Is Over, Doesn't See Importance of BLM During a sit-down interview with FOX Sports One’s “Undisputed" in September, rapper Lil Wayne revealed that he had never in his life experienced racism and, therefore, he believed racism was over and/or didn't exist at all. In another appearance on ABC's "Nightline," the rapper said he didn't feel connected to the Black Lives Matter movement because it "ain't got nothing to do with me." Kanye West: The Rapper Who Wants Black Folk to Stop Focusing on Racism During a stop on his Saint Pablo Tour in San Jose, California, last month, hip-hop superstar Kanye West went on a lengthy rant about how Black people are being distracted by racism. He went on to say that he didn't vote in this year's presidential election, but if he had, he would've voted for Donald Trump. He was promptly booed by thousands of fans at the concert. Cam Newton: The Footballer Who Switched Up On the Black Community After his failed debut at the 2016 Superbowl and subsequent walkout during a postgame press conference, Carolina Panthers player Cam Newton called out critics for fearing his Blackness, stating, "I’m an African-American quarterback that scares people because they haven’t seen nothing that they can compare me to." Months later, however, Newton backtracked and claimed his fans' critiques had nothing to do with race. In a later interview with GQ magazine, the footballer also implied that America is "beyond race." He has since remained hush-hush on the topic(s) of race relations and Black oppression. Richard Sherman: The NFL Star Who Downplayed Police Violence Against Blacks Seattle Seahawks player Richard Sherman found himself in hot water with the Black community after remarks he made regarding Black Lives Matter and "Black-on-Black" crime. The football star said the Black community needs to tackle intraracial crime first before it goes pointing the finger at white cops when they shoot and kill Black people. Charles Barkley: The "Uncle Ruckus" of the Basketball World Auburn alum and "Inside the NBA" analyst Charles Barkley has made some questionable comments about race over the years, especially as it pertains to the Black community. The former basketball star has been accused of dissociating himself from the African-American community and on multiple occasions has blamed Black people for the violence and unfair treatment they face at the hands of police (i.e., Mike Brown). Shaquille O'Neal with Los Angeles Police Department (Los Angeles Police Protective League Facebook) Shaquille O'Neal: The Ex-Basketballer Preaching Respectability Politics Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal said he's never worried when he's stopped by a cop. Why? Because he shows "respect" to the officer(s). The retired basketball player said his upbringing by a drill-sergeant father taught him to always respond "Yes, sir" or "No, sir" to police officers. His respectability politics haven't proved effective for everyday Black men like Philando Castile and Charles Kinsey, however. Azealia Banks: The New York Rapper Who Traded In Her Black Card Rapper/producer Azealia Banks stayed in the headlines this year for her skin bleaching, constant flip-flopping on Black issues and outright offensive comments about Black people. Earlier this year, she accused Black men of being unappreciative of Black women and selling them into slavery. She then went toe to toe in a Twitter feud with 14-year-old Disney channel star Skai Jackson, who Banks called a "coon in training." Jackson, however, won said Twitter feud in a rout. It wasn't even close. Wendy Williams: The Gossip Queen Who Denounced HBCUs and the NAACP Talk show host Wendy Williams was dragged by the African-American community after she made disparaging remarks about historically Black colleges and the NAACP. "I would be really offended if there was a school that was known as a historically white college," she said. " we have historically Black colleges. "What if there was the National Organization for White People only? There’s the NAACP." Young Thug: The Self-Hating Trap Star of Atlanta In a viral video, Atlanta rapper Young Thug made demeaning and disgusting remarks to two Alaska Airlines employees who he claimed caused him to miss his flight. He then proceeded to call the Black women "ants" and "peasants" who looked African and had "nappy hair." Critics of the rapper were quick to call him out over the comments, noting that Young Thug's dark skin and "nappy hair" — as well as his mother's — resembled those of the women he was talking down to. Trick Daddy: The Rapper Who Put Down Black Women to Praise Whites, Latinas Miami rapper Trick Daddy came under fire after he posted an Instagram video warning Black women that white and Latina women would soon render them useless. "These Spanish, these white h–s, they just started getting finer than a m—–f—–," the rapper is heard saying in the video. "Y’all black h–s better tighten up. They f— around and learn how to fry chicken, you h–s is useless." Stephen A. Smith: The Analyst Who Thinks Intraracial Crime Excuses White-On-Black Crime Controversial ESPN sports commentator Stephen A. Smith ruffled a few feathers this year when he ignorantly defended the "Black-on-Black" vs. white-on-Black crime argument, stating that the latter paled in comparison to the former. He went on to say that African-Americans needed police officers more than anyone, seemingly forgetting the violence suffered by Black people at the hands of cops this year. Bow Wow: The Rapper Who Doesn't Identify with His Black Ancestors Earlier this year, rapper Bow Wow, now known as Shad Moss, was met with severe backlash after he tweeted about not identifying with his Black ancestors due to his mixed-race ancestry. The rapper announced he had no plans of voting in the presidential election, to which critics responded that he should because his ancestors died for his right to vote. "I'm mixed," Moss tweeted. "I don't know what my ancestors were doing." Raven Symoné: The Child Star Far Removed from Her Blackness The former child star and "The View" co-host has also remained in the headlines this year for her questionable comments regarding Black issues and race relations. For instance, she defended the actions of a white school officer seen hurling a Black teenager across a classroom, she stated that "some people look like animals" when a Latino comedian compared Michelle Obama to an ape, and she said she preferred to be labeled as an American, not an African-American. Whoopi Goldberg: The Comedienne Who Denied Her Blackness On an episode of "The View," Whoopi Goldberg outwardly denounced being called an African-American. "You know what? Uh-uh! This is my country,” Goldberg exclaimed. “My mother, my grandmother, my great-grand folks, we busted ass to be here. I’m sorry. I’m an American. I’m not an African-American, I’m not a chick American, I’m an American!”

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