Singer-turned-actor Tyrese Gibson is in headlines again after making a post celebrating his love for a Mexican family, saying he wished he was “Latino.”
He made the remarks in a post on Instagram, where social media users instantly blasted him not only for seemingly disparaging his own race but also for the timing of his lengthy caption, just a day before the start of Black History Month.
The video clip Gibson shared on Jan. 31 features a family surprising their patriarch with a new vehicle as a thank-you for his years of sacrifice to provide for them. Many gathered around the man to usher him outside to the garage of what is assumed to be his home. When he gets to the curb, they surprise him with a new truck, and he breaks down in tears.
Tyrese wrote a five-paragraph essay that seemed to be a tribute to the Latin family structure but splashed disparagement on his own race.
“Sometimes I wish I was born Latino,” he bemoaned, before saying, “I mean the Latin community is grounded in family, loyal, entrepreneurs, businessman, and women literally represent the dream, the grind the hustle doing whatever it takes to stick together against all odds.”
Adding, “If us is black culture was more grounded in these integral magical nuances of us we would be dominant.”
The “Sweet Lady” singer went on share what he’s learned from the Jewish community eating dinner together on Fridays as well as the Muslim community from his travels to the Middle East.
The rest of his remarks broke down all of the ways that other communities are better than Blacks in his opinion because their family unit is intact, with strong patriarchal structures.
“I have no idea how we lost our way.. We can’t get anything done and accomplished, as a fragmented culture…. insecure, threatened by each other m… Competitive towards our own race, killing ourselves every single day frivolously the majority of us is black men and the millions are locked up in prison,” Gibson continued.
His comments ended by saying that Blacks do have some redeeming qualities (powerful, influential, and successful) but they are overshadowed by how “fragmented and dysfunctional” the community is.
Many on social media chimed in on his remarks.
@Tyrese bro…you want to be Latino?? 👀
— xRxGGodlyx™️ ♌🎮🔫💥 (@RxGGodly) February 1, 2024
One person was shocked that the star of “Baby Boy,” a movie about a Black man-child who refused to grow up and take responsibility for his life while living under his mother’s roof, would say such a thing.
“Tyrese please. Not on the first day of Black History Month,” one person said on Instagram.
Another person joked, “We wish he was born latino too cause his behavior is embarrassing to our community.”
A third person wrote, “Tyrese please. A lot of those abilities were stripped from us and we are still rebuilding and it’s only the grace or God that we made it through and are still able to progress.”
Adding, “We are only a couple of generations out of slavery. We have been through so much and are still accomplishing excellence in a country that still doesn’t accept us at times or acknowledge what we have been through. Happy Black History month and goodbye. Be the change.”
The “Transformer” star has struggled with issues regarding his Blackness for years. In 2012, he posted on social media, “I used to be so ashamed of my dark skin when I was younger. Now I’m clear this is Kings and Queens skin!”
In 2020, during his TV One “UNCENSORED” special, he said, “I had never felt a piece of handsome. I had never felt a piece of being cute. I had never heard compliments throughout my childhood. I never got any attention from the ladies.”
The “Sweet Lady” crooner continued, “I caught every joke in the dark skin community ever. I was black, burnt, tarp. I was all teeth and eyes. I was blurple — black and purple.”
Over the years, people have struggled to empathize with him, saying his choice of partner, particularly his ex-wife Samantha Lee shows that he might be “color struck.”
