Actress Stacey Dash is not backing down from her controversial remarks. The 49-year-old “Clueless” star-turned-Fox News pundit made these inflammatory comments as she addressed the #OscarsSoWhite controversy during Fox & Friends on Wednesday. They were discussing the growing criticism of the organization for not including any persons of color in their nominations for the prestigious awards ceremony. Dash stated that she felt it was “ludicrous” to have channels such as BET and the BET Awards “if we don’t want segregation.”
The comments that Dash made have been received with much backlash from the African-American community as well as others across popular media networks and online social media sites. But Dash continues to reiterate that she stands by her comments.
On Wednesday, January 20, the BET Network responded with an Instagram of one of Dash’s appearances on its popular show “The Game” where the network asked the actress “can we get our check back… or nah?”
On Thursday, Dash published a blog entry on her website titled “How BET Lies to Black People” Dash wrote, “Ever since I said THIS on Fox yesterday, Black Entertainment Television has been throwing shade”. “They reminded me — and the rest of America — that I appeared on a show called The Game, which appeared on BET,” she went on.
“Well, here’s the thing. Thank you for reminding me, since most people have never heard of that show. Why? It’s on BET. Quick. Name the top shows on BET. Drawing a blank? I think I’ve made my point,” she continued.
“Wow. Apparently, Mr. Hill doesn’t understand what an Oscar is,” she wrote. “Oscars are awarded to the actors and actresses who excel… not the audience. What’s next? Awarding $1 million to the guy sitting in his pajamas on the couch watching Survivor?”
“My problem goes back to the notion that every area of life needs to break down exactly according to demographic ratios except in those areas in which black people have decided they want to have their own space,” she said, citing hip-hop and jazz as such arenas.
Dash continued, “BET lies to American black people by telling them that the rest of America is racist, so stick close to your own kind. Anything that promotes segregation is bad!”
“I don’t have a problem with black people having their own space,” Stacey Dash further wrote on her blog. “I have a problem with the folks at BET absolutely freaking out when other institutions don’t match up to what they think is best.”
Dash went as far as to say that she looks “forward to the day when people don’t self-segregate based on skin color, while loudly complaining about a segregated society,” referring to BET and their flagship principle for the network.
Members of “The View” cast also discussed Dash’s original remarks during their “Hot Topics” segment Thursday.
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg said that part of the issue she had with Dash’s assertions is that black history is “not taught… as it pertains to America.”
“American history holds all of us — and she’s right in that we are all Americans — but we’re not all treated like Americans,” Goldberg added. “One of the reasons there is a BET is because networks wouldn’t take a lot of the shows that have an all-black cast.”
