‘Very sorry,’ Jimmy Fallon forced to apologise for 2000 blackface skit

Popular, NBC’s Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon has apologised for wearing blackface in a Saturday Night Live skit from 2000.

The clip went viral on Monday, and led to calls for Fallon to quit the show.

In his apology on Tuesday, Fallon said there was “no excuse” for his actions, and thanked the public “for holding me accountable”.

Several politicians and media figures, as well as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have been embroiled in recent blackface scandals.

In the skit, Fallon wore blackface to impersonate fellow Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Rock, who is African American, depicting him as making a joke about crack cocaine.

As the hashtag #JimmyFallonIsOverParty trended on Twitter on Tuesday, Fallon released a statement apologising for the 20-year old skit.

“In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface,” he wrote.

“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.”

Chris Rock has not yet made any public statement about the sketch.

Skip Twitter post by @jimmyfallon

In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface.  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.

— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) May 26, 2020