John Oliver slams white people over ignorance of Black hairstyles on Last Week Tonight show

John Oliver was in quite a mood on his Last Week Tonight show. He took on the subject of ‘Black Hair’ and how it was perceived by white people. 

On the show he said, “I realize I’m not the ideal person to talk about black hair. I look like I still go to an old time-y barber named Valentino and ask for a tidy Liza Minnelli.”

John then explained that white people have historically ignored the cultural roots, significance and diversity of black hairstyles and how that lack of understanding has serious consequences today, from professional to political.

“Black hair shouldn’t be viewed or corralled by white people,” Oliver emphasized. “White people really don’t need to have an opinion on it and our laws should reflect that.”

Oliver’s call of action this week zeroed in on The CROWN Act. Written in 2019, the bill ensures protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles. These hairstyles, such as braids, locs, twists and knots have led to unfair punitive actions against Black people, said Oliver.

He ended the Last Week Tonight with a video from actors Leslie Jones, Uzo Aduba and Anthony Anderson, encouraging white viewers curious about black hair to “f**king Google it.”

“It can be f**king Bing, YouTube, Wikipedia – I don’t give a sh*t,” the former SNL actress said.

For the white viewers not interested in Googling, there is another option, said the Black-ish star. Without skipping a beat, Jones finishes Anderson’s sentence: “F**king off is always an option.”