"I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, 'They're looting.' You see a white family, it says, 'They're looking for food.' And, you know, it's been five days aiting for federal helpbecause most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I've tried to turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch. I've even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I'm calling my
business manager
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a business manager as "a person who manages the business affairs of an individual, institution, organization, or company".
Compare manager.
Business managers drive the work of others (if any) in order to op ...
right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help—with the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible. I mean, the Red Cross is doing everything they can. We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way—and they've given them permission to go down and shoot us!"
Mike Myers, with whom West was paired to present, spoke next and continued as normal by reading the script. West followed this, saying, "
George Bush doesn't care about black people." Myers turned, surprised and "a bit uncomfortable" by the comment.
West revealed later that Myers said to him after, “It is what it is.” The camera then cut away to the next segment, which featured
Chris Tucker
Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series '' Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He app ...
, who was also visibly surprised.
West later appeared on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...
'', commenting on the controversy, saying, "People have lost their lives, lost their families. It's the least I could do to go up there and say something from my heart, to say something that's real."
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...
said in a statement regarding West's comments, "Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks. It would be most unfortunate if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person's opinion."
West returned to NBC one month later, performing on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves as ...
''s
31st season premiere in October 2005. Mike Myers appeared in a sketch spoofing the incident during that episode.
In a 2010 interview with Bush, who was being interviewed by
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd Lauer (; born December 30, 1957) is an American former television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the ne ...
to promote his book ''
Decision Points
''Decision Points'' is a memoir by former U.S. President George W. Bush. It was released on November 9, 2010, and the release was accompanied by national television appearances and a national tour. The book surpassed sales of two million copies ...
'', Bush stated that West's statements were one of the "most disgusting moments of
ispresidency", and that "
isrecord was strong,
efelt, when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And
est's outburstwas a disgusting moment."
In a 2014 interview with ''
GQ'', Myers said, "
hy wasthe emphasis on the look on my face versus the fact that somebody spoke truth to power at a time when somebody needed to speak? I'm very proud to have been next to him."
Auction
A
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
guitar autographed by the performers and presenters was auctioned off to raise additional funds. The guitar sold for $30,900.
References
External links
*
American Red Cross press releaseMSNBC article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Concert For Hurricane Relief, A
Hurricane Katrina disaster relief benefit concerts
NBC original programming
American telethons
Criticism of journalism
Kanye West
2005 in American television
September 2005 events in the United States
Television controversies in the United States
African-American-related controversies
Race-related controversies in television