Jackson brothers: “They probably weren’t trying to be offensive”
Marlon, Tito and Jackie Jackson were told about the Hey Hey skit in London on Thursday: “Wow, and you want a comment from us about that?”
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Marlon, Tito and Jackie Jackson were being interviewed by Access Hollywood correspondent Tim Vincent in London on Thursday when they were told about Hey Hey‘s now notorious ‘Jackson Jive’ sketch.
“Wow, and you want a comment from us about that?” Marlon said. “Man, if they turned up looking like that in the United States!” (-the exact same comment given by Harry Connick Jr.).
But the three brothers were gracious in response, which is no doubt a huge relief to all involved.
“They probably weren’t trying to be offensive about it or anything of that nature with the family,” Marlon continued. “We thank Harry for [speaking out], but we also understand that they weren’t trying to be disrespectful for the family.”
Phew.
A quick call from Molly Meldrum to his friend Jermaine Jackson might help keep this on track, if it hasn’t already happened.
US media has been understandably less kind about the incident, with many reacting to the headlines attached to the story.
On The View a discussion took place between Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and guest Ana Ortiz described Hey Hey as a talent show. While they acknowledged the act had been on 20 years earlier, they made reference to fact that back then “they won the show.”
Hmm, Hey Hey is many things but it isn’t Australia’s Got Talent. None seemed to grasp the segment has a ‘Gong’ style irony to it (was Whoopi ever on the show herself? Maybe not).
They also commented about Australia’s track record with Aborigines, noting that Australia has no musical act that matches the Jacksons. True enough. What country does? While we’re at it, everyone also seems to have forgotten that Jessica Mauboy opened the show.
Few have included the background of the performers either. But amid the flaming fires of US editorials, all of which are understandable, it took Bill O’Reilly to put some clarity into the debate.
“Australia and America are very similar… this is not representative of Australia, this is just a bad decision by stupid producers.”
Meanwhile it also made news on NBC, CBS and ABC and was carried on Good Morning America and the CBS Early Show.
It’s a little ironic that Hey Hey wanted to bring the show into 2009 with Facebook, Twitter and emails. Going ‘viral’ was a little more than it bargained on…
Source: Access Hollywood
33 Responses
As JP mentioned I also remember when Whoopi and Ted Danson were dating and there as a roast for Whoopi and he was in black face and she laughed and had no issue whatsoever
Oh an interesting side note at The Astor Cinema this Sunday in Melbourne there are playing The Jazz Singer with a live performance with Izzie Dye singing Mammy and other Jolson songs how apt and on the pulse of whats going on and the calendar was produced around August this year
haha! America giving us tips on how to treat indigenous people.
I’ve heard it all now.
Despite the idiots at the View trying sound intelligent, does anyone find it funny that Harry Conick said,
“In America we’ve spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons”
What is he saying? black people naturally look like buffoons and America has worked hard to stop that?
Harry is your typical stupid American trying to sound politically correct so that people will perceive him as intelligent, when America itself is one big hypocrisy.
Good to see some people can see sense. Whooopie Goldberg also said she believed no offense was meant to be caused. At the this time Americans should think about the decades of Azaria Chamberlain, Chernobyl or Hiroshima and other sensitive issues that American Television writers have made light of before they condemn us. The Jackson Jive’s situation all comes down to cultural misunderstanding. What’s thier excuse?
Why should we care what they think of us? Don’t they have a sense of humour over there?
I was saddened to see this as the 4th story on the BBC London news this morning. I thought being 00’s of kilometres away I would not hear stupid things about this pathetic show…. My mistake
Didn’t Whoppi Goldbery defend Ted Danson when he appeared in blackface at the Friar’s Club comedy roast? Actually she helped write the skit I think! Just saying.
What’s a Jessica Mauboy?
No real suprise there, They Completely ignored the fact that hippocrite did a blackface skit on MADtv.. also no refrence to Robert Downey’s Blackface in Tropic Thunder either….
Australians really need to get over this comparison nonsense and stop pointing the finger. What about this? What about that? It doesn’t matter. Anywhere Australians are shown in a negative light, we have a tendency to do this. Defend ourselves by blaming the other person because they didn’t get it or they don’t understand. In my opinion that makes us look even worse. The fact that some Americans confuse us with Austria doesn’t make a world of difference in making this any less offensive.
There is a major difference between what Chris Lilley doing Jonah or Robbie Downey Jr playing an Australian who is playing a blackman in Tropic Thunder than this skit. Consider what is being mocked? (both intentionally and unintentionally)
Regarding “racism” as an issue in Australia. Well it may not always be overt but it still exists. Read some comments on news websites or even some of the commentary coming out from this issue on this very website. Pointing out that racism is everywhere doesn’t make it any less of an issue.
@Jed I think that was a genuine mistake the View hosts did when they referred to Aboriginals as “Aborigines”, and something they would of corrected if they knew. I’ve encountered many Australians who continue to use the word aborigine. What is that saying about Anglo Australians?
I bet the guy who designed Nine Adelaide’s “50 Years” watermark is happy. 😀
“Australia and America are very similar… this is not representative of Australia, this is just a bad decision by stupid producers.”
This sums everything up nicely. Maybe a producers should get the gong!
I would think they just over looked it but a small part of me thinks they did this to get some attention, just not this much…
@tasmanian devil: They didn’t “acknowledge that the act was not offensive”. They said that the people involved “probably weren’t trying to be offensive”. Their statement related to intention, not to the perception of the incident.
I never thought I would ever agree with Bill O’Reilly, but there you have it.
What gets me is that 99% of the programs/people over there judging HeyHey haven’t even bothered to watch the show…
But to be honest, I fail to see why we should care what the trash media thinks of us over there!
Again people are getting confused – dressing up as an ethic group is not the issue. Read up on “blackface” and the key iconic elements that denotes it. People are arguing about issues that have no relevance.
OMG! I feel ill, Bill O’Reilly has said something I agree with!
The Jackson Brothers are right we weren’t trying to be offensive, if we put our minds to it we can be as offensive as all get out, as the Malays, Singaporeans, Indonesians, Samoans et al can attest. It has been said on many occassions, to understand a nations culture one must live there.
Channels Sevens efforts to turn us into a nation of bigots and racists on their news about a 40 second comedy sketch has been breathtaking. They and other don’t seem to understand, it’s our culture.
An American arriving in Australia today had a newpaper thrust in his face by a Seven journo to which the person said they were “insulted”, perhaps that person and other Amecicans should live here for a couple of years and get to know us
Yeah funny that they talk about “Australia not being good to the Aborigines”. It’s actually disrespectful to use the term Aborigine, so maybe they should learna thing about our cultural sensitivities instead of opening their trap. It’s either Indigenous Australian or Aboriginal person. Hypocrites, the lot of them.
In regards to the skit. Summer Heights is one of the funniest comedies Australia’s ever had. Huge hit, Logie winner, shown overseas. Chris Lilley dresses up in a wig, with darkened skin to play Jonah. It was hilarious. In We Can Be Heroes he played Ricky Wong, a Chinese-Australian. And even more he played a Chinese-Australian, playing an Indigenous character in a play. Did we get outraged at that. No! Because Australia has a sense of humour. Cathy Freeman even joined the performance at the Logies. She obviously didn’t have a problem with him playing that role, and the other Chinese actors didn’t have a problem with him playign that role, even for comedic purposes. Keep on laughing Australia, Americans are still yet to realise we’re not all like them.
“While we’re at it, everyone also seems to have forgotten that Jessica Mauboy opened the show”
So?
About the only sane thing Bill O has said in his entire career of opining.
Its amazing how this became such a topic in mainstream US media and how it went all the way to the Jackson family from a stunt on a crummy has been TV show in Australia.
@ td / nathan – doesn’t stop the rest of the world thinking we are all some backwards, racist country though does it?
Some of the comments on international forums are just terrible – noone knows anything but stereotypes about us anyway and then ch 9 goes and throws this to the world!!
I know we may not be what we are perceived as but it only takes enough people to perceive something before Oz gets a really bad rep.
Did they over react this much when South Park did it’s Steve Irwin bit, or Little Britain did its continuous Minstral skit or what about the old Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney films that get shown on TCM, showing them with painted faces.
I beat any of these incidents failed to even rate a mention.
Get over it… people are reacting without fully knowing the context or our point of view. It was more tribute then rascist, Harry over reactied.
This ought to knock some sense into people. If they can acknowledge that the act was not offensive, then anyone can (and should).