Jesse Williams’ moving and politically charged Humanitarian Award speech at the 2016 BET Awards sent the audience and the Twittersphere into a frenzy. However, it was the tweet by Justin Timberlake that set the Internet ablaze.
The 35-year-old musician wrote late Sunday night (June 26) that he was “#inspired” by the Grey’s Anatomy actor’s remarks at the award show, in which he took several instances of racism in the United States to task and urged for a push in equality.
“We’re done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment…” he said at one point in his speech, which brought the crowd at L.A.’s Microsoft Theater to its feet.
A Twitter user Tweeted Timberlake asking if his co-sign of Williams’ speech means that he would “stop appropriating our music and culture,” to which the “Can’t Stop The Feeling” singer wrote, “Oh, you sweet soul. The more you realize that we are the same, the more we can have a conversation.”
Oh, you sweet soul. The more you realize that we are the same, the more we can have a conversation.
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) June 27, 2016
JT’s response led to outrage on the site, with several users asking him to acknowledge his privilege within the industry, as well as to not be so dismissive of some of the struggles blacks had to face. Many also wrote that he was still in hot water with the black community after the 2004 Super Bowl’s “Nipplegate” scandal involving Janet Jackson.
I love Justin Timberlake. Love the gringo gawd. But he was a bit too dismissive about black folks and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t his intent
— Kazeem Famuyide (@RealLifeKaz) June 27, 2016
Justin Timberlake had NO IDEA that he was still in the doghouse over #Nipplegate, that’s why you have to have a DIVERSE team,voice of reason
— bevysmith (@bevysmith) June 27, 2016
Justin Timberlake stepping over the point of the whole speech like pic.twitter.com/2SCdLI6xGe
— MonsterKing (@CerromeRussell) June 27, 2016
However, there were a ton of Twitter users who were confused about the backlash altogether. Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club even gave “Donkey Of The Day” on Monday (June 27) to anyone who criticized Timberlake for his tweets because he’s trying to incite a change, and change cannot happen if people won’t allow it to.
This Justin Timberlake drag is so dumb… 😴🙄… I don’t think ppl know the difference between appropriating and appreciating lol
— AunBae SaltedRose (@They_LoveAC) June 27, 2016
But y’all mad at Justin Timberlake because he chose not to be silent??? SMH. https://t.co/WT3hQDhImr
— Charlamagne Tha God (@cthagod) June 27, 2016
Timberlake apologized in a series of tweets soon after the backlash began, stating that he believes he was “misunderstood” because his tweet was not supposed to be taken as a general response.
I feel misunderstood. I responded to a specific tweet that wasn’t meant to be a general response. I shouldn’t have responded anyway…
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) June 27, 2016
I forget this forum sometimes… I was truly inspired by @iJesseWilliams speech because I really do feel that we are all one… A human race
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) June 27, 2016
I apologize to anyone that felt I was out of turn. I have nothing but LOVE FOR YOU AND ALL OF US.
–JT
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) June 27, 2016