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By Todd Johnson
NBC News presenter Megyn Kelly apologized Tuesday for her comments earlier in the day, asking why it is considered racist that whites wear blackface on Halloween.
In an email sent to colleagues by NBC News, Kelly said that she had taken the time to listen to other points of view on the subject.
"I realize now that such behavior is really wrong and I'm sorry," Kelly wrote. "The history of blackface in our culture is abominable, the wounds are too deep."
During the roundtable discussion on "Megyn Kelly TODAY," which took place at 9 am, Kelly questioned her panelists about what is racist about whites wearing a blackface during the night. ; Halloween. Kelly went on to say that wearing Blackface was considered a good thing when she was a child "as long as you dressed as a character".
She also defended reality television star Luann de Lesseps, who darkened her skin for her Diana Ross costume in 2017.
"If she wants to look like Diana Ross for a day, I do not know how that became racist for Halloween," Kelly said. "It's not like she's walking around in general."
Kelly commented on her show alongside guests Jenna Bush Hager, Jacob Soboroff and Melissa Rivers.
Lesseps apologized for her suit earlier this year, saying she "never wanted to hurt anyone's feelings."
Kelly's comments sparked a lot of criticism on social media and soon began to evolve on Twitter.
In 2014, Jeneé Desmond-Harris of Vox.com explained why blackface was offensive.
"His American origins can be attributed to minstrel shows," wrote Desmond-Harris. "Between the middle and the end of the nineteenth century, white actors regularly used black grease paintings to represent plantation slaves and free blacks on stage." To be clear, these were not representations At all times, a society that systematically abused and dehumanized blacks, they mocked representations that reinforced the idea that African Americans were inferior in every respect. "
Several celebrities explained why Kelly's comments were problematic. Padma Lakshmi, the host of Bravo's "Top Chef" tweeted Kelly had the "responsibility" to learn about social issues. Actor Patton Oswalt tweeted To his followers, Kelly and he are about the same age and this blackface was not "acceptable" when he was younger.
Kelly concluded her e-mail to colleagues claiming that she "had never been a person of the genre", but understood that "race and ethnicity issues" are "far from the point of view." to be healed ". In fact, she said, they have been exacerbated in US politics over the past year.
"It's a time for understanding, love, sensitivity and honor," she wrote, "and I want to be part of it."
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