Actress Alyssa Milano took to Twitter on 30 June to fire a broadside at critics who have been accusing her of being racially insensitive when using blackface in a comedy video in 2013.
In her defence, Charmed star Milano said the skit she had appeared in was a parody of the MTV reality series “Jersey Shore”, where some cast members were known for their artificial tan, and, specifically, one of its cast members, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi.
Referring to the latter endearingly as a “sweetheart”, the actress, known to be a vocal critic of the US President, said her tan was as worth parodying as Donald Trump’s “tan.”
Milano linked her tweet to a YouTube video of the 80-second skit from seven years ago, created by comedy website Funny or Die.
The footage, believed to be a parody of a Dove brand commercial, shows Milano seated in a chair being transformed by a makeup team into a participant on “Jersey Shore”.
The skit reportedly sought to reveal how the beauty industry manipulates viewers, setting unrealistic beauty standards for women.
“So go f*** yourselves with your smear campaign,” retorted the actress in her tweet, which was accompanied by an image from an article by publication LifeZette.
Milano earlier made a veiled reference to the attack on her in a Monday tweet, slamming “cancel culture” as being “weaponized by the right” and warning that a “misinformation campaign had begun”.
Netizens were split in their reactions, as some took a swipe at the actress for “mocking others”.
Others voiced their support for Milano, insisting that the parody she had appeared in was comedy, and “not blackface”.
Earlier, LifeZette, a website co-founded by Fox News host Laura Ingraham, wrote that Alyssa Milano’s past had come back to haunt her with a vengeance, referring to the allegedly “blackface” parody as a “damning photo”.
The news came as a succession of celebrities have recently been apologizing for appearing in “blackface” in their shows over the years.
Late night television host Jimmy Kimmel apologised for past sketches after receiving complaints over his use of blackface makeup while impersonating black celebrities such as basketball player Karl Malone, Oprah Winfrey and Snoop Dogg.
Earlier, NBC presenter Jimmy Fallon issued a similar apology over blackface sketches he performed on Saturday Night Live.