CNN 's Chris Cuomo sparked outrage on Twitter on Friday when he said 'you know I'm black on the inside' in his handover...
CNN's Chris Cuomo sparked outrage on Twitter on Friday when he said 'you know I'm black on the inside' in his handover segment with Don Lemon.
The offending clip started when Cuomo, 50, sang the words to the theme song from the popular '70s sitcom Good Times.
The show, which aired on CBS from February 1974 to August 1979, followed a black family living in a public housing project in a poor, black neighborhood in Chicago.
Lemon laughs before asking Cuomo: 'How do you know all the words to Good Times?'
'You know I'm black on the inside,' Cuomo responds, before Lemon belts out the theme song.
CNN's Chris Cuomo sparked outrage on Twitter on Friday when he said 'you know I'm black on the inside' in his handover segment with Don Lemon
USA Today reporter Mike Freeman pointed out the offending clip on Twitter, sparking fierce responses
Critics on Twitter were quick to respond after USA TODAY sports reporter Mike Freeman pointed it out with an image of a perplexed Tom character from the cartoon Tom and Jerry.
'Black is not a costume, I don't get to be white when I don't feel like not dealing with racism or racist police or just regular bulls**t black people deal with,' tweeted Aisha Staggers, Managing Editor of Sister2Sister Magazine and News Onyx.
'I can't even hide at home because I can be killed there in my bed, so understand, there was nothing silly about this.'
When another Twitter user asked Freeman why people were outraged, Staggers responded: 'It's f**king offensive.'
'Black isn't something you can just say you feel you are inside without having to deal with the racism that comes with being physically Black on the outside. This is cultural appropriation,' she said.
Another Twitter user, Sister Mary Dande, tweeted: 'We had to turn off the television because I’m not here for that nonsense. @CNN needs to have some sensitivity training with their on-air personalities.'
'@ChrisCuomo just said he was black on the inside. This spoilt, entitled guy raised in money and privilege, who is only on TV because of his surname,' tweeted @jfyfe.
Critics were quick to respond to the awkward handoff on Twitter, calling it out for cultural appropriation
One critic said that Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon trying to recite Good Times lyrics reminded them of comedian Dave Chappelle’s 'I know black people' skit, which poked fun at woke white Americans.
Others, however, found no fault with the handoff - even calling the exchange 'hilarious.'
'Yes. Chris was singing the goodtimes theme and Don asked him how does he know the words. Chris said you know I'm black on the inside. It was hilarious. I loved it,' @symonelyfy tweeted.
Cuomo and Lemon have been praised and mocked for their handoffs, with many YouTube videos dedicated to compilations of their 'bromance.'
In another handoff, Cuomo blew three kisses to his CNN colleague who awkwardly laughed afterward.
Some Twitter users, however, defended the handoff between Cuomo and Lemon as 'hilarious'
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