"The NBA could have saved themselves all this drama": Jimmy Kimmel Karl Malone blackface video surfaces amid ongoing scandal
Despite retiring almost two decades ago, Karl Malone has been the most popular NBA player over the past few days. The Utah Jazz legend was honored at the 2023 All-Star Weekend, which wasn't something many basketball fans enjoyed.
Malone is very controversial and some fans even call him a rapist. His appearance at the All-Star Weekend has made him one of the most searched athletes, which is why a blackface video of Jimmy Kimmel resurfaced as well.
The comedy skit, which is also controversial due to the use of blackface, has gained a lot of traction lately. Some fans even joked that Kimmel should have impersonated Malone at the All-Star Weekend.
Karl Malone was impersonated by Jimmy Kimmel, who used blackface
Blackface is a form of makeup that is used to portray a Black person. It is mostly used in theatrical plays and sketches, mostly by non-Black people. However, the use of blackface is deeply rooted in racism, which is why using it is very offensive.
This form of theatrical makeup has contributed to the spread of racial stereotypes regarding Black people. Some artists and performers still use blackface, even though it's frowned upon. This includes Jimmy Kimmel, who impersonated Karl Malone using this technique.
While many viewers found the Comedy Central sketch funny, there is no doubt that it was offensive to many people. However, some basketball fans joked that the NBA should have used Jimmy Kimmel instead of Malone at the All-Star Weekend.
You may be interested in reading: When Karl Malone reportedly harassed Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant with comments about her descent: "I’m hunting for little Mexican girls"
Malone was a judge in the Slam Dunk Contest and was also honored at halftime of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.
The NBA could have saved themselves all this drama by just getting @jimmykimmel to put on blackface again and play Karl Malone for #AllStarWeekend https://t.co/tN4OfEERlY
If Kimmel had used blackface recently, there is no doubt that he would've been canceled. However, the clip is from 1990s and it's also about Karl Malone, who is very controversial.
Karl Malone is such a piece of shit that Jimmy Kimmel basically got away with Blackfacing him.
Fuck Karl Malone
While many were offended by the comedy sketch, many also disliked Malone so much to give the comedian a free pass for blackface.
@NataTheScribe Trying to Explain how much everyone hates Karl Malone to my little brother I settled on this: Black people hate Karl Malone so much that they give Jimmy Kimmel a free pass for black face
Some basketball fans even compared the skit controversy to everything controversial that Malone has done, saying that Kimmel's video is less unforgivable than Karl's actions.
Those Karl Malone blackface Jimmy Kimmel skits from The Man Show are less unforgivable than actual Karl Malone
@PatelESPN @roybelly People hate Karl Malone so much that they gave Jimmy Kimmel a free pass for doing black face
From impregnating a 13-year-old child to hitting on Vanessa Bryant while playing with Kobe for the LA Lakers, Malone is very controversial. Due to this, a lot of people talk about his troublesome history whenever he's brought up.
@isaiah_bb I've had a small conspiracy theory that Jimmy Kimmel got away with blackface because as soon as you bring Karl Malone into the situation, suddenly blackface is no longer the thing being talked about.
While using stereotypical makeup wasn't the right thing to do, it appears that Jimmy Kimmel wasn't drastically criticized because his skit was about Karl Malone.
Jimmy Kimmel apologized for using blackface
In 2020, the popular comedian apologized for using blackface to impresonate the basketball star. He realized that what he did was wrong, which is why he apologized for his actions, more than 20 years after the video aired.
"There is nothing more important to me than your respect, and I apologize to those who were genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke,” Kimmel said.
The comedian also apologized for taking so long to address the blackface issue. He admitted that his delay was a mistake, but he waited for the right time to address it properly.
You may be interested in reading: How was Karl Malone's statutory rape trial solved? Was he convicted or acquitted?
In 2018, Jimmy Kimmel hosted Malone on his show as the two had a casual conversation. This happened two years before Kimmel's public apology, but it didn't seem like the basketball Hall of Famer was bothered by the skit.