*Da’Vinchi is owning up to the comments that set off a diaspora debate.
The “BMF” star sat down with Charlamagne Tha God on “The Breakfast Club” and apologized for calling Americans “incompetent,” Bossip reports.
“I know my wording was very clumsy, so I shouldn’t have used harsh language like incompetent,” he said. “I should have definitely used different language.”
He added, “I think the language was too abrasive for such a nuanced conversation.”
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The backlash began after his appearance on Cam Newton’s “Funky Friday” podcast earlier this month, as EURweb previously reported. While discussing why Black British and Caribbean actors often play Black Americans, he questioned American work ethic.
“But in America, no shade to you guys, but the way the culture moved the majority of its citizens, you’re just incompetent for a really long time,” he said at the time. When Newton asked if Americans were lazy, he answered, “I think this country promotes that.”
Many listeners heard those remarks as a knock on Black Americans, and the conversation grew into a wider debate within the Black diaspora.
Da’Vinchi admitted he didn’t grasp the reaction right away because he spends little time online. Once the calls started coming in, he rewatched the interview and saw it from his critics’ side. “Dang, that would hurt me, too,” he recalled thinking.
The actor, who was raised in a Haitian household, said he never meant to single out Black Americans. His point, he explained, was a broader critique of American culture and its growing reliance on technology.
Charlamagne also asked whether he believed Black Americans treat slavery as an excuse. Da’Vinchi shut that down.
“No, heck no!” he said. “It’s not an excuse. It’s a reality. It’s why we’re here right now.”
He said he intended to celebrate perseverance, not downplay racism or slavery’s lasting impact. “I was speaking to the resilience that has always characterized Black people,” he said.
Watch Da’Vinchi’s Breakfast Club interview below.
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