Disney CEO Bob Iger answers pointed question about blackface and Jimmy Kimmel, Joy Behar
Disney CEO Bob Iger says that the company doesn’t “condone the use of blackface under any circumstances in our world today” and that it dealt privately with past instances of Jimmy Kimmel donning dark makeup on “The Man Show” and Joy Behar dressing as a “beautiful African woman.”
On Thursday, conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy published audio of its general counsel, Justin Danhof, asking Iger about the matter during a Disney shareholder meeting. (The audio can also be found on The Walt Disney Company's website.)
After pointing out how Disney prides itself on the diversity of characters in films like "Black Panther," Danhof said, "I find it puzzling that the company seems OK with (Jimmy) Kimmel and (Joy) Behar’s past racist actions and behaviors. Can you comment to us on their use of blackface? Are they simply held to a different standard than politicians and newscasters because they're comedians?”
Kimmel appeared in blackface as Oprah Winfrey and NBA star Karl Malone on Comedy Central's sketch series "The Man Show," which ran from 1999 to 2004, before he hosted ABC's late-night show. The comedian, who frequently mocks and criticizes the Trump White House, inadvertently started a feud with Sean Hannity last year when he mocked first lady Melania Trump's Slovenian accent, prompting the Fox News host to dredge up his old blackface clips. (Kimmel didn't comment on the old clips during their beef.)
Meanwhile, a 2016 "View" episode recently resurfaced in which Behar, an outspoken liberal, recalled dressing up as a "beautiful African woman” for Halloween – including darkening her skin with makeup – in the 1970s. The clip came back to haunt her recently after photos surfaced of Virginia's governor and attorney general in blackface and former Fox News host Megyn Kelly was ousted from NBC for defending the practice.
Iger told Danhof that blackface is simply unacceptable.
“We don’t condone the use of blackface under any circumstances in our world today,” he answered. “We take into account context in all cases when we become aware of the people that have been in blackface in public. And the specific incidents that you raised we chose to deal with privately.
"We did not feel that it required any particular comment, nor do we have anything to say about what actions we may have taken in that regard, and we have no comment about the actions that were taken by others that you cited except to say that's something we don't condone," he continued.
Iger stressed, “We obviously take situations like this very seriously. We’ve taken swift actions as a company at any point when we feel the behavior of someone that works for us is a discredit to our company, themselves, people who work for us, our customers, or society..”
Contributing: Rasha Ali and Leora Arnowitz
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disney CEO Bob Iger answers pointed question about blackface and Jimmy Kimmel, Joy Behar
