Comedian and “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon has found himself in hot water after an old “Saturday Night Live” skit featuring him in blackface as he channeled Chris Rock resurfaced and made its way around online.
The host has since apologized for his poor choice and found a surprising ally in Jamie Foxx, who defended Fallon and reminded Black people that “we got bigger fish to fry.”
The Roots have played as Fallon’s house band since 2009, transitioning with him from “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” to “The Tonight Show,” and the group’s frontman Questlove has also addressed the controversy, echoing Foxx’s sentiments.
Interestingly enough, Nick Cannon brought attention to the same skit in 2019, when he also called out Fallon’s late-night competitor Jimmy Kimmel for wearing blackface while impersonating former NBA player Karl Malone.
Jimmy Kimmel’s portrayal of Malone also came back into question during the recent conversation surrounding Fallon, but he has yet to issue an official response.