A Peruvian comedy show is facing backlash after featuring a segment with actors who appeared in blackface, mocking Jada and Will Smith. The show, which caused outrage when photos first circulated on Instagram, also shows the actors with exaggerated facial features.
The images were first seen on the Instagram page of Peruvian comedian Carlitos Vilchez but have since been deleted. Still, social media users sparked a discussion about Black people facing racism in the Latin community.
yeah and the latinos laughing it up in the comment section are the same ones who claim there’s no racism in latin america because everyone is “mixed” lol pic.twitter.com/1b636I0I6h
— tony (@catrussy) April 3, 2022
Some social media users said the show has a history of using blackface to depict Black characters.
Just a few weeks ago in an "Encanto" parody of the same TV show pic.twitter.com/Vma1vo4JMV
— Carlitos (@CarlosMaldo96) April 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/ViacomV/status/1510792971351846912
Others who have grown up in the Hispanic culture pointed to examples of racism they have seen among their own families.
Racism in Latin and Hispanic culture is alive and well, and no where near the issue it should be. People in my family still say stuff like “esta bonita, pero esta prietita” meaning “she’s pretty, but she’s a little dark”.
— Mr. Salma Hayek (@Lu_Cetina) April 4, 2022
I get told this all the time
— lisetita🍓 (@analis3t) April 4, 2022
In 2012 I lived with a family during my Spanish immersion in Oaxaca. There was a stack of Memin Pinguin comics in the living room. I was shocked and appalled at these Jim Crow portrayals of blacks as monkeys an Aunt Jemima’s. I talked to the school, but nothing happened.
— Mamá de dos Perros (@bureaucrat2023) April 4, 2022
Facts I hear this dumb shit in my fam conversations 🤮🤮
— 💸💸💸 (@mytypeofT) April 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/sippinlem0nade/status/1510743801404534784
Vilchez’s show features several other skits where actors wear wigs, costumes, large ears, masks and blackface.
Vilchez has more than 900,000 followers on Instagram and nearly the same amount on Facebook.