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Jimmy Fallon apologises after blackface sketch from 20 years ago resurfaces

Published 15:15 2 Jun 2020 BST

Updated 15:17 2 Jun 2020 BST

Rudi Kinsella
Jimmy Fallon apologises after blackface sketch from 20 years ago resurfaces

Homemovies & tv

"I'm horrified, I'm sorry and I'm embarrassed."

TV host Jimmy Fallon has apologised for an old sketch that featured him dressed in blackface that came to light again recently. A video emerged last week of Fallon dressed in blackface while doing an impression of Chris Rock on Saturday Night Live. The impression was part of a sketch that was filmed in 2000, but it gained traction once again last week. Speaking from his home on the most recent episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, he apologised for what he called a "terrible" decision. Speaking about Chris Rock, he said: "I respect this guy more than I respect most humans. I’m not a racist. I don’t feel this way. "I'm horrified, I'm sorry and I'm embarrassed. "I realised that the silence is the biggest crime that white guys like me and the rest of us are doing, staying silent. We need to say something. We need to keep saying something." He then spoke to CNN presenter Don Lemon and NAACP President Derrick Johnson about the ongoing riots taking place in America, following the death of George Floyd last week. Take a look here: Clip via The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

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Jimmy Fallon apologises after blackface sketch from 20 years ago resurfaces