Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett spent her Thanksgiving Eve shrugging off critics who felt she spewed a racially insensitive joke.
The confusion set in Wednesday (Nov. 22), when the former Playboy Playmate came across a cotton field in Texas while en route to a Thanksgiving gathering. Snapping photos and videos for her IG story, the 32-year-old posted a photo with the caption, “Always wanted to pick cotton. Lol.”
Shortly after catching heat for the joke, Wilkinson explained how she didn’t think of race while sneaking into the field to touch the plants. She also said it was a dream of sorts to flock in a cotton field. “Wanting to pick some cotton and saying I’m going to get shot for trespassing is becoming news all of a sudden. Just having fun guys, no harm,” she said. “No joke I’ve always wanted to pick cotton, okay so I picked it. It felt good in my hands, it was all fuzzy and sh*t. I just didn’t want to get shot for trespassing.”
While picking cotton seemed like a casual thing to do for the reality star, African-Americans have an unwanted to connection to it that rhymes with slavery. (Hint, it’s slavery.)
She then headed over to Twitter to defend herself and mentioned how she sat with her black father-in-law baffled at the accusations. After coming to fame in the E! reality series The Girls Next Door about her relationship with the late Hugh Hefner in 2005, she married former athlete Hank Baskett, who is black. The couple, who also highlighted their marriage on her reality series Kendra, share two children together.
I can’t believe I’m getting accused of being racist when I’m sitting here with my black father in law rt now baffled at the accusations
— Kendra Wilkinson (@KendraWilkinson) November 22, 2017
I would never joke about black history. Anyone that thinks i joked about that can suck it. ??
— Kendra Wilkinson (@KendraWilkinson) November 23, 2017
Fuck off to anyone who don’t know me n know what I’m about. Just cuz i picked some fucking cotton. It’s a fucking plant. Omg i can’t
— Kendra Wilkinson (@KendraWilkinson) November 22, 2017
I understand that all went down but all i did was pick cotton today. No strings attached, no black history jokes, no ill intentions. Sooooooo um https://t.co/6f6BT7PuOh
— Kendra Wilkinson (@KendraWilkinson) November 23, 2017
Ok after this tweet I’m over this shit. I know you know I’m not racist. So let’s put that shit behind us. Cool. Fist bump. Blow it up. Make it rain. Lol ✌?
— Kendra Wilkinson (@KendraWilkinson) November 23, 2017
She also released a lengthy post on Instagram to clear up her joke, explaining that she meant no ill will.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb0kdMTgHzz/