Jamie Foxx lamented “it’s a tough time right now” for comedy in defending fellow comedian Jimmy Fallon for an old blackface sketch that resurfaced this week.
“Let this one go,” Mr. Foxx wrote on Instagram Tuesday.
Mr. Fallon apologized earlier Tuesday amid renewed criticism over a 20-year-old “Saturday Night Live” sketch in which he donned blackface to impersonate Chris Rock.
“In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface,” the “Tonight Show” host tweeted. “There is no excuse for this. I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable.”
The sketch, which also featured former cast member Darrell Hammond impersonating Regis Philbin, showed Mr. Fallon impersonating Mr. Rock while wearing dark brown makeup, black facial hair and a textured wig.
The clip has resurfaced and sparked backlash multiple times in recent years but Tuesday was the first time Mr. Fallon responded.
Mr. Foxx said the accusations of racism against Mr. Fallon for the skit were a “stretch.”
“He was doing an impression of Chris Rock. It wasn’t black face [sic],” the Oscar-winning actor commented on an E! News Instagram post about the controversy, Us Weekly reported. “We comedians, I know it’s a tough time right now. But this one is a stretch. On a show called In Living Color we played every race. Let this one go. We got bigger fish to fry … #changecourse.”
