Comedian Larry Wilmore said he has no regrets about using the n-word during a speech about — and in front of — President Barack Obama over the weekend, calling it "a term of endearment."
Wilmore, the host of Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show," addressed the controversy on the air Monday night.
"I'm wrapping up my little speech and giving the president some props, telling him how much I appreciated him being the first black president and what that meant to me," Wilmore said of his speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
"And then I buttoned it with a little, um, let's say, um, colloquialism."
Wilmore then used a
form of the n-word to describe Obama at the end of his remarks.
"There was a lot of reaction online. Many people were upset about it and many people supported it. And like the president himself, the reaction was mixed. Oh shoot I did it again. Don't make those jokes, Larry," Wilmore added, the crowd laughing in the background.
"I completely understand why people would be upset about that — it's a very charged word. I get it."
Wilmore then further defended his use of the word while calling out a reaction to his speech from Piers Morgan in a
Mail Online story.
"N—er is what white people use to to denigrate, demean, and dehumanize black people," Wilmore said, referencing how Morgan referred to his remark. "N—ga is a term of endearment some black people use between each other to take back that power."
The
White House defended Wilmore's use of the word, with spokesman Josh Earnest saying, "I'm confident that Mr. Wilmore used the word by design. He was seeking to be provocative."
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