The Rev. Al Sharpton came under critical fire from African-American comic Larry Wilmore during Wilmore's first night replacing Stephen Colbert as host of Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show."
Sharpton's anger at the lack of black nominees for the Oscar nominations and his statement that he planned to call an "emergency meeting" in Hollywood to discuss it caused Wilmore to complain: "Sharpton? Again? I mean, no one else can represent us?
"Al! Al! Al! Slow down, man! You don't have to respond to every black emergency. You're not black Batman — a racial fire chief,"
Mediaite reported.
Wilmore poked fun at Sharpton's weight loss and love of publicity, saying, "I appreciate your efforts, but you're literally stretching yourself thin. Take a break, man, seriously. They're worried about you. You need to eat food, not just airtime."
Wilmore's comments mirrored those of retired Lt. Col. Allen West, who satirically said of Sharpton's annoyance at the lack of black Oscar nominees: "It's shocking! Seventy-eight percent of all MVPs in history have been black! Boy, I'd say the NBA is way too black. We ought to hold an emergency meeting to discuss possible action against the NBA, right Al? I mean it's simply not fair,"
IJ Review noted.
"In the NBA, it's like outer space Al — the higher you get, the darker it gets," West said.
"The Oscar nominations are out and they're so white a grand jury has decided not to indict them," Wilmore joked.
"Oprah marched on Selma this weekend. She has a dream that 'Selma' shall overcome 'The Wedding Ringer' at the box office.
"In the old days,"
Wilmore said, "it was about being able to sit at a lunch counter, going to the same schools, or even voting. Today we're just trying to not get shot on our way to work."
Running through various protests that have worked, involving pollution in China, the NYPD turning their backs on New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, and fair trade for Harry Potter chocolate products, Wilmore commented: "Something about this just doesn't seem right. I mean, are we protesting too many things here?"
Noting a protest underway at Grand Central Station, he joked: "There's no better way to win the hearts and minds of white people than making them miss their trains to Connecticut."
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