Kitt Shapiro is defending her racial identity after a viral TikTok video this summer, where she mentioned she was Eartha Kitt‘s daughter. The legendary actress died of colon cancer in 2008 at the age of 81. Her career spanned six decades of acting, singing, dance and Broadway theater. “I am my mother, Eartha Kitt, biological child,” wrote Shapiro at the bottom of the video.
During a recent appearance on “The Tamron Hall Show” this week, she explained that fans often doubt she was the daughter of the “Santa Baby” singer due to her skin complexion. She said she previously stayed away from these types of conversations, but the internet trolling has become too much to bare.
“It is amazing,” she said at the 3:23 mark. “We all know we’ve been victims of some type of trolling or nastiness online and people. They just assume that because I don’t, as I mentioned in the TikTok, look the way they think you should look then you can’t possibly be who you say you are.”
Shapiro revealed that she is Eartha’s only child, telling host Tamron Hall, “And this is what ya got.” Despite being criticized for her appearance or “not being black enough,” she said her mother loved her unconditionally.
“I truly think she was proud to be the parent of somebody that couldn’t be easily identified because she herself had been so stereotyped and so pigeonholed because of her skin color obviously,” she continued.
The 60-year-old explained that she was “accepted” back then because her mom was a famous entertainer. No one really noticed or talked about her complexion, but her mother always did.
“She would always talk about that fact…how beautiful I was. Of course she was my mother. Let’s remember that,” she giggled. “And I am her only child.”
She claims Eartha often talked about “how wonderful it is to have this mixed race and how mixed race people are so much more interesting no offense to anyone who is not.”
She then remembered one of the first times someone commented she was “adopted” after her mom’s passing on social media. “To which my response was when, ‘Do you think a Black woman could of adopted a white baby first of all?” she laughed. “I don’t care how famous she was.”
Shapiro acknowledged that it would have been fairly impossible back when she was born in 1961. She described her father, John William McDonald, as a “little white pasty…German Irish” man. Meanwhile, Eartha was sometimes mistaken for “the nanny or the housekeeper.” But her reasoning for responding to commentators today was to let people know “this conversation happens a lot.”
Nearly eight minutes into the show, a jumbo screen displayed previously unseen family photos of Shapiro and her mother. It brought back memories of their whimsical travel excursions including a trip to Africa. In her 2021 memoir, “Eartha & Kitt: A Daughter’s Love Story in Black & White,” she recalls her mother being asked to leave an amusement park intended for whites only at 12.
“You’ll have to get the book to read the story, but the story is so profound because it was one of the first times that I truly realized my mother and I look different,” she shared.
The author claims the park owner was allegedly “upset” and “embarrassed” to find out what happened to Eartha. To soothe things over, he offered a donation to her cause of choice, in addition to tickets for Shapiro’s friends.
“My mother felt that this image right here in South Africa at that time made a greater statement than if she had made a scene in the moment,” she exclaimed.
Fans shared their relatable experiences in the comments section of the video on YouTube. Here’s what a few critics had to say.
“I can’t imagine being attacked for claiming YOUR OWN MOTHER. Some people behave in ways that are bizarre and downright deranged when it comes to biracial black people – especially biracial black women. Thank God this woman was born to such a strong Queen. Eartha Kitt spoke truth to power and was willing to pay the price. This woman can speak truth to the idiots and the trolls and keep being HERSELF.”
“Regardless of her skin tone, it’s crazy that people don’t see that Eartha and Kitt have the same face. I am glad that she’s standing up for herself!”
“I’m so glad Kitt is speaking up to set the record straight. Did it ever occur to people that she has more of her Father’s DNA.”
“She most definitely is her Mother’s child.”
“Eartha Kitt was a Classey lady, and she did an excellent job with her daughter.”
