Jimmy Kimmel apologizes for Blackface sketches

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has issued a statement apologizing for wearing Blackface to impersonate various Black celebrities over the years.

“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 in a statement.

Though the images and footage are not new — most occurred on Comedy Central's The Man Show and KROQ radio in the '90s and early 2000s — backlash grew strong on Twitter after Fox News shared audio of Kimmel impersonating George Wallace in 2013 and admitting to using the n-word in a song. Kimmel's statement does not address Fox directly, but refers to "those who equate apologies with weakness and cheer for leaders who use prejudice to divide us."

“I believe that I have evolved and matured over the last twenty-plus years, and I hope that is evident to anyone who watches my show," he added. "I know that this will not be the last I hear of this and that it will be used again to try to quiet me. I love this country too much to allow that. I won’t be bullied into silence by those who feign outrage to advance their oppressive and genuinely racist agendas."

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