David Oyelowo Apologizes Following Backlash Over Black Southern Accent Comments

[00:00:00]this. Selma actor David Oyelowo is walking back his words after igniting backlash online during a recent podcast discussing black British actors in American roles. Oyelowo described the black southern dialect as a slow down Nigerian accent mixed with quote slavery and subservience. As you can imagine, people on social media went in on him.

[00:00:27]The actor has since released a statement apologizing calling his own comments careless and wrong. All night long we're taking your thoughts via text. Send them to 713-581-9914.

[00:00:40]Let's turn over to our guests joining us now. They're mad as hell and they're not taking it any [snorts] damn more. CEO of Regal Media Todd Smith, podcast host Quincy Gidry, and First Class. So, Quincy, your thoughts about this? I mean, to show his range professionally, it makes sense in order for him to take on a role like that. But, linguistically, the southern drawl comes from the British accent when people moved over. And over time it turned into the way the dialect that we use today.

[00:01:13]So, I mean, it's completely understandable and if you look at different actual accents, like we'll take the accent from Louisiana. It has a bit a bit of a French background to it. And the New Yorkers, they have a bit of a Irish and Sicilian.

[00:01:26]So, yeah, it makes sense, but not only that, it's kind of a slap in the face to the individuals that have gone through some of the things that they've seen here in America growing up here in America for them to not be able to actually play these roles. That's just my personal opinion on >> All right, First Class, let's hear from you. Your thoughts about this?

[00:01:44]>> I mean, first off, happy Juneteenth, you know what I mean? But, I do look at it Yes, sir. But, I do look at it like, man, are you trying to say you're better than us?

[00:01:53]You know what I mean? Cuz I already see that those guys are taking on our American roles and things of that nature. But, I also look at it like, man, when you start to tell us the game that you say you're talking, it looks like, hey, we're better actors actors than y'all. We were brought up different than y'all. So, I I kind of took it on the negative side. I'll be honest with you. I I didn't [clears throat] want to reason with them, and I could understand why he did the apology after, you know what I mean?

[00:02:19]>> And And Todd, is this indicative of a bigger problem in First Class Touchstone? There is a major divide from those who are from Africa and black Americans.

[00:02:30]>> I look at it like like First Class said, it's kind of like I'm going to use the word elitist. Like it's elitism to me.

[00:02:35]It's like we're the top tier, and y'all are down here. And like Rachel Lindsay was saying on her podcast, and her him and her and Van Lathan talked about it.

[00:02:43]When he was talking about black Brits and Nigerians, his hands were like this.

[00:02:48]But, when he start talking about southern blacks, his hands went down.

[00:02:50]And I'm not going to generalize a whole group of people because I hate when people do that to us. But, there are stereotypes that say that Africans look down on African Americans, and I'm assuming maybe some black Brits look down on African Americans as well. So, when you >> And you don't just have to say we've had that conversation here with people of African from Africa with black Americans, and there is truly a divide there.

[00:03:12]>> So, you're you're you're you're looking at us as something less than. And he said subservient. The southern drawl is subservient. Me and Quincy talked about it. Martin Luther King had a heavy southern drawl. Absolutely.

[00:03:24]drawl made And you know, he that that slow drawl. There's nothing subservient to me about Dr. King. There was nothing slave about Dr. King. He was the epitome of strength to me. You know what I mean?

[00:03:35]And pride. So, when you kind of look down upon that, you're looking down upon a lot of intelligent leaders, a lot of heroes. And you're And it's it's in poor taste, in my opinion.

[00:03:46]>> almost do, you think that some of those guys are coming to take those roles thinking the same thing?

[00:03:51]>> And that's the thing though. it's like and like I think Rachel said it, if you're comfortable saying that on a podcast, what are you saying about us behind closed doors? The main question >> With with Idris and all those guys like >> And I never had a problem with them taking those roles because Cynthia Erivo did a great job in Harriet. All these people but Van Lathan said something very profound.

[00:04:09]He said a white American is not going to be able to play James Bond. You know what I mean? They're not going to allow that in Europe. You know what I mean?

[00:04:14]You have to be from that culture. So maybe we need to be like that as well because even though they're great actors there's something we understand that pain. Our grandmother had that My grandmother didn't speak the King's English but I know her struggle. So I would be able to better relate and appreciate her struggle.

[00:04:30]>> All right. Thank you guys for joining us here on The Factor on The Shade Room.

[00:04:33]Going out going to hang out with >> You already know it.

[00:04:38]>> We're going to take you to the club.