Check out these rare snapshots of history
To make matters worse, despite the worldwide turmoil over racial injustice, Kimmel's actions, or lack thereof, have not affected his role as host of the next Emmys. Many Twitter users are comparing the way Kevin Hart was booted off the Oscars for his past homophobic comments.
In 'Ocean's 11,' Dean Martin (center left) starred as Sam Harmon. At one point, he wore blackface for the role.
The television chef and son of fellow TV personality Paula Deen went full brownface as Cuban-born actor Desi Arnaz ('I Love Lucy') for a 2011 Halloween episode of 'Paula’s Best Dishes.'
See also: American stars caught being insanely racist.
A clip from a 2000 'Saturday Night Live' sketch in which Fallon impersonates fellow comedian Chris Rock in blackface went viral, and prompted an apology from the successful TV host. "I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable," he wrote on Twitter.
Radio host Howard Stern came under fire after a clip from 1993 resurfaced in which he performs in blackface and uses racist language. Stern appears to parody Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg’s controversial performance of that same year, in which Danson also wore blackface. The clip went viral, particularly as it was cut with videos of Stern claiming he has never used racist language.
In 2000, Jimmy Kimmel donned blackface for appearances on 'The Man Show.' He played NBA player Karl Malone, and a did a parody of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' called 'Oprah Jimfrey.' He's certainly not the only star with controversial sketches resurfacing, but he has fuelled the fire by announcing a brief vacation from his show without making any comments on the harmful nature of his past actions.
For context, historically it was commonplace for white actors especially to darken their skin, and impersonate other races, mainly black and brown people. This history dates back to the mid-19th century in North America, but can be traced as far back as the 17th century in Europe. But although more commonly associated with actors, more and more it's come to include musical artists, politicians, reality TV stars, and even famous YouTubers.
Writes CNN journalist Kendall Trammell: "Portraying yourself as someone of a different race is not just a representation of a person but rather using someone's skin tone as a costume."
And who are the big names that took part in this degrading practice? Click on to find out.
Jimmy Kimmel and other celebs who got backlash for blackface
The TV host announced his vacation amid the resurfacing sketches
CELEBRITY Racism
In 2000, Jimmy Kimmel donned blackface for appearances on 'The Man Show.' He played NBA player Karl Malone, and a did a parody of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' called 'Oprah Jimfrey.' He's certainly not the only star with controversial sketches resurfacing, but he has fuelled the fire by announcing a brief vacation from his show without making any comments on the harmful nature of his past actions.
For context, historically it was commonplace for white actors especially to darken their skin, and impersonate other races, mainly black and brown people. This history dates back to the mid-19th century in North America, but can be traced as far back as the 17th century in Europe. But although more commonly associated with actors, more and more it's come to include musical artists, politicians, reality TV stars, and even famous YouTubers.
Writes CNN journalist Kendall Trammell: "Portraying yourself as someone of a different race is not just a representation of a person but rather using someone's skin tone as a costume."
And who are the big names that took part in this degrading practice? Click on to find out.