Brands and celebs who got backlash for blackface

Gucci - Gucci is a revered brand in fashion. However, one recent design has reminded many people of blackface. The brand apologized for the design, with CEO Marco Bizzarri saying "we made a mistake. A big one." The company has even issued a "disruptive behavior" protocol for its employees, in order to deal with the backlash.

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Katy Perry - Katy Perry found herself in hot water because of her shoe designs. Many thought that one particular design resembled blackface, and the shoes were pulled from stores.

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Governor Ralph Northam - Ralph Northam is the governor of Virginia, who is refusing to resign after his yearbook picture surfaced. The picture showed two men, one in KKK robes and the other in blackface. Northam admitted to it at first, before going back on his words and denying either man was him.

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Drake - Last year, Drake got involved in a rivalry with rapper Pusha T, who shared a photo of Drake wearing blackface for a photo shoot.

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Chris Rock - In 1998, Chris Rock was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair. He wore minstrel makeup and blackface for the shoot.

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Peter Sellers - Back in 1968, Peter Sellers wore makeup that darkened his skin, so that he could play an Indian actor in the film 'The Party.'

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Kim Kardashian - The reality star tries to keep up a spotless image, but has been accused of darkening her skin more than once. Ads for her KKW makeup line featured an arguably darker-looking Kim, and her photo shoot for Interview magazine had similar allegations.

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Jimmy Kimmel - Way back in 2000, Jimmy Kimmel donned blackface for appearances on 'The Man Show.' He played NBA player Karl Malone, and mimicked his accent.

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Jimmy Fallon - Believe it or not, Jimmy Fallon did the same thing that same year. He wore blackface on 'Saturday Night Live,' for a sketch in which he played Chris Rock.

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Kylie Jenner - In 2015, Kylie Jenner posted photos from a shoot, which showed the star with a darker complexion. "This is a black light and neon lights people lets all calm down," she said in her defense.

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Beyoncé - To many, Beyoncé is flawless and inscrutable. However, some took issue with a 2015 magazine spread, which showed the singer wearing darkening makeup. The magazine, L'Officiel Paris, argued that it was "a return to her African roots."

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Gigi Hadid - Gigi Hadid has been accused of darkening her skin, like on the cover of Vogue Italia. However, the model has insisted it was the magazine's choice. "Please know that things would have been different if my control of the situation was different," she wrote on social media.

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Joni Mitchell - Joni Mitchell wore blackface on the cover of her 1977 album, 'Don Juan's Reckless Daughter.' She defended herself by saying "I have experienced being a black guy on several occasions."

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Ted Danson - 'The Good Place' actor wore blackface and used racial slurs in 1993, for a roast with Whoopi Goldberg, his girlfriend at the time. Goldberg defended Danson and said she co-wrote the roast, and even suggested the makeup artist he should go to!

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Robert Downey Jr. - Downey Jr. didn't try to hide his blackface phase. He wore it for 'Tropic Thunder,' a comedy film which also starred Ben Stiller.

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Billy Crystal - Back in 2012, Billy Crystal wore blackface for a sketch. But this wasn't some little-known show, it was the 84th Academy Awards.

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Julianne Hough - Hough got a fair bit of backlash in 2013, when she wore darkening makeup to a Halloween party. She was dressing up as Crazy Eyes from 'Orange Is the New Black.'

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Sarah Silverman - An episode of 'The Sarah Silverman Program' featured the star wearing blackface throughout.

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Jason Aldean - A photo of Jason Aldean went viral in 2015. He had dressed up as Lil Wayne for Halloween, blackface and all.

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Judy Garland - She's the star of a generation, but many people don't know that Judy Garland wore blackface for films like 'Everybody Sing' and 'Babes in Arms.'

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Elizabeth Taylor - Elizabeth Taylor wore darkening makeup for her appearance in 'Young Toscanini,' in which she played Nadina Bulichoff.

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Fred Armisen - The comedian wore darkening makeup on 'Saturday Night Live,' when he played Barack Obama in a sketch. "I know [blackface is] not very politically correct these days, but I think I will have to if I am to do Obama," he told the Sunday Telegraph.

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Shane Dawson - In 2014, the YouTube star apologized for using blackface in his videos. On one instance, he parodied talk show host Wendy Williams.

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Colton Haynes - The TV actor dressed up as Kanye West and Gandhi for Halloween, in 2011 and 2012 respectively. He wore darkening makeup on both occasions, and went on apologize for his choices.

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Luann de Lesseps - The bold TV star dressed up as Diana Ross for Halloween in 2017. She wore a huge wig, and had makeup that darkened her skin. "I never meant to hurt anybody's feelings," she told Andy Cohen.

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Antoine Griezmann - Griezmann was a star of the World Cup last year, helping France win the all-important title. However, many were disappointed to see the footballer wear blackface on social media.

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Buster Keaton - Buster Keaton wore blackface in a couple of films, like 'Neighbors.'

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Shirley Temple - To some, Shirley Temple is a symbol of innocence. However she wore blackface for the 1935 film 'The Littlest Rebel.'

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Laurence Olivier - Olivier was an actor so revered, they named an award show after him. He wore blackface for the 1965 film 'Othello,' in which he played the title character.

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Dean Martin - In 'Ocean's 11,' Dean Martin (center left) starred as Sam Harmon. At one point, he wore blackface for the role.

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Katy Perry - Katy Perry found herself in hot water because of her shoe designs. Many thought that one particular design resembled blackface, and the shoes were pulled from stores.

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Drake - Last year, Drake got involved in a rivalry with rapper Pusha T, who shared a photo of Drake wearing blackface for a photo shoot.

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Chris Rock - In 1998, Chris Rock was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair. He wore minstrel makeup and blackface for the shoot.

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Peter Sellers - Back in 1968, Peter Sellers wore makeup that darkened his skin, so that he could play an Indian actor in the film 'The Party.'

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Jimmy Kimmel - Way back in 2000, Jimmy Kimmel donned blackface for appearances on 'The Man Show.' He played NBA player Karl Malone, and mimicked his accent.

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Jimmy Fallon - Believe it or not, Jimmy Fallon did the same thing that same year. He wore blackface on 'Saturday Night Live,' for a sketch in which he played Chris Rock.

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Robert Downey Jr. - Downey Jr. didn't try to hide his blackface phase. He wore it for 'Tropic Thunder,' a comedy film which also starred Ben Stiller.

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Billy Crystal - Back in 2012, Billy Crystal wore blackface for a sketch. But this wasn't some little-known show, it was the 84th Academy Awards.

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Julianne Hough - Hough got a fair bit of backlash in 2013, when she wore darkening makeup to a Halloween party. She was dressing up as Crazy Eyes from 'Orange Is the New Black.'

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Sarah Silverman - An episode of 'The Sarah Silverman Program' featured the star wearing blackface throughout.

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Jason Aldean - A photo of Jason Aldean went viral in 2015. He had dressed up as Lil Wayne for Halloween, blackface and all.

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Judy Garland - She's the star of a generation, but many people don't know that Judy Garland wore blackface for films like 'Everybody Sing' and 'Babes in Arms.'

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Elizabeth Taylor - Elizabeth Taylor wore darkening makeup for her appearance in 'Young Toscanini,' in which she played Nadina Bulichoff.

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Shane Dawson - In 2014, the YouTube star apologized for using blackface in his videos. On one instance, he parodied talk show host Wendy Williams.

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Colton Haynes - The TV actor dressed up as Kanye West and Gandhi for Halloween, in 2011 and 2012 respectively. He wore darkening makeup on both occasions, and went on apologize for his choices.

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Antoine Griezmann - Griezmann was a star of the World Cup last year, helping France win the all-important title. However, many were disappointed to see the footballer wear blackface on social media.

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Buster Keaton - Buster Keaton wore blackface in a couple of films, like 'Neighbors.'

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Shirley Temple - To some, Shirley Temple is a symbol of innocence. However she wore blackface for the 1935 film 'The Littlest Rebel.'

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Laurence Olivier - Olivier was an actor so revered, they named an award show after him. He wore blackface for the 1965 film 'Othello,' in which he played the title character.

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Dean Martin - In 'Ocean's 11,' Dean Martin (center left) starred as Sam Harmon. At one point, he wore blackface for the role.

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Brands and celebs who got backlash for blackface

Gucci, Katy Perry, and the Virginia governor have all got in trouble in recent weeks

20/02/19 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Racism

Blackface is a reminder of the entertainment industry's dark past. Historically, it was commonplace for actors to darken their skin, and impersonate other races, mainly black people. However, the offensive trend has not gone away, and many stars still seem to get in trouble over blackface.

Gucci's saga is one of the latest, as the brand unveiled a turtleneck sweater recently that was subject to a lot of backlash, as it reminded many of blackface. The response was so great that the company actually distributed "disruptive behavior" guidelines, with the CEO reportedly claiming that he initially thought that it was a "minor snafu," but that he's actually "ignorant of the history and significance of blackface."

With plenty of controversy in the news over racial insensitivity (including Burberry's recent mishap), click through this gallery to meet the figures who have been embroiled in blackface backlash through history.