Stacey Dash’s appearance at Sunday night’s (Feb. 28) was nothing short of awkward.
The staunch Republican actress/Fox News commentator made her way to the Academy Awards stage after an introduction by Chris Rock that coronated her the director of the Academy’s new “Minority Outreach Program,” a joke that left viewers–in the audience and at home–confused about what had just taken place. With a wide grin, Dash didn’t help to ease the tension with her overzealous follow-up line.
“I cannot wait to help my people out” she said. “Happy Black History Month!”
After people took their borderline embarrassment to social media to react, the actress felt compelled to introduce herself to people who had no idea who she was. In a blog post titled, “Who is Stacey Dash and why did she just walk across the #Oscar stage?,” Dash explained her political transition into the Republican Party, and how she gained notoriety in Black America for her controversial ideas, like canceling Black History Month. She then went on to attempt to add some clarity to her Oscar moment:
Which brings me to the joke. When they added ME to increase the diversity, I’m sure many black people rolled their eyes. I’m not ‘black enough,’ they say. But guess what? I’ve heard that all my life. I would rather be a free thinking, black than a cookie cutter black who thinks – and votes – just like all my friends.
Yes, I’m the actress from the South Bronx who has always dreamed of winning an Oscar. But God has a great sense of humor and this is my first encounter with one of my dreams of destiny. Bringing diversity to Hollywood… not merely because of color, but politics as well. (After all, different colors of skin is an easy kind of diversity. Ideological diversity is much harder, because it forces everyone to come face to face with actual beliefs. Hollywood needs BOTH.)
Anyway, this is a first. A beginning.
Correct us if we’re wrong, but maybe if a joke needed that much explanation, it wasn’t exactly a great joke. Read Stacey Dash’s full blog post here.