E! News correspondent Giuliana Rancic was recently caught on camera making racist remarks about 18-year-old Zendaya, who dared to wear her hair in dreadlocks.
During an episode of Fashion Police, Rancic made a snide remark about how Zendaya “probably smelled like patchouli oil” on account of the “offending” hair style that Zendaya rocked on the Oscars red carpet (which is preferable to smelling like prescription drugs & White Diamonds, am I right Giuliana?). Needless to say, Giuliana was dragged for filth all over social media (and in the news media), leading her Fashion Police co-star (and longtime Zendaya supporter & friend) Kelly Osbourne to quit over the remarks. It was only after the brouhaha threatened to make Giuliana a pariah that she issued the following apology: “I didn’t intend to hurt anybody, but I’ve learned it is not my intent that matters. It’s the result. And the result is that people are offended, including Zendaya, and that is not okay. Therefore, I want to say to Zendaya and anyone else out there that I have hurt, that I am so, so sincerely sorry.”
Giuliana isn’t the first celebrity to have the complexion for the protection against offensive comments. Here’s a list of 15 celebrities who got caught (and called out) for their racist comments.
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Photo: WENN.com
15. Justin Bieber
Canada’s greatest embarrassment tries to show that he’s “down with the brothers” by dropping the N-word in his 2011 documentary, Never Say Never. Since that time, the boy-next-door has gone full-on Straight Outta Toronto with his wannabe hood self.
Photo credit: Instagram.
14. Donald Sterling
There was so much wrong with the former L.A. Clippers owner’s disparaging remarks about every minority under the sun…but the ultimate irony was that he said it all in the throes of passion to his mistress V. Staviano…who is half-Black & half-Mexican. The NBA banned him for life, forced the sale of the team, and ordered him to pay over $2 million in fines.
Photo credit: WENN.com
13. Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson is nothing if not an amazing sack of bats*it. The former actor and director saw his career virtually disappear after he went on an anti-Semitic tirade in 2006 after his DUI arrest. And if that wasn’t crazy enough, his ex-wife finished off what was left of his career by releasing a series of voicemails to TMZ, in which Gibson told her that she “hopes she gets raped by a pack of n-words.” Isn’t he just a little bit of terrific? [/sarcasm]
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12. Paula Deen
An old, fat white lady from the South is racist? You don’t say. In any event, Paula Deen, like Mel Gibson before her, saw her entire career vanish before her eyes in 2013, when an employee accused her of racial harassment. Amongst the other allegations, Deen (who has admitted to using the n-word) was accused of hosting “plantation-themed” parties.
Photo credit: WENN.com
11. Michael Richards
Not content with simply resting on his Seinfeld laurels, Michael “Kramer” Richards was another one that saw his entire career disappear before his eyes when, in 2006, he hurled racial insults into the audience (including a generous dose of the n-word) and made references to lynching. Oh, the hilarity! (Not.)
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10. Charlie Sheen
Though this incident has been all-but-forgotten, Mr. Tiger Blood showed his not-so-savory side during his divorce from former Playboy playmate Denise Richards. Amongst his other wonderful tirades, Sheen left a voicemail for his now-ex-wife calling her a “f-ing n-word.” All we can say is this: Sheen (born Carlos Estevez) has a lot of nerve.
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9. John Wayne
The times were different back then (though, really, how much has changed?). In 1971, the legendary cowboy gave an interview to Playboy in which he proudly proclaimed, “I believe in white supremacy until blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.” Jeez.
Photo credit: Time Magazine
8. Ted Danson
In 1993, Ted Danson was on top of the world: he had a hit show (in “Cheers”), a pretty respectable movie career, and a girlfriend in Whoopi Goldberg. Then he appeared at The Friar’s Club in blackface, eating a watermelon, and saying the N-word more than the Pope says Amen. The backlash was incalculable, and Danson’s career never recovered.
Photo credit: WENN.com
photo: WENN
7. John Mayer
The funny part of John Mayer’s racist proclamations is that it caused, not an outrage, but a countless number of Women of Color to breathe a sigh of relief. In a 2010 interview with Playboy (what is it with racist men and this magazine?), the schlock-rock singer proudly proclaimed that he had “a Benetton heart and a f*ckin’ David Duke c*ck.” That’s okay, Mayer…black women didn’t want you anyway.
Photo credit: Getty
6. Moby
Recently, the well-known and previously well-liked DJ tweeted a reference to a Jay-Z/Kanye West song…and proclaimed that the Museum of Modern Art would turn into “a new hood” if it dared to let more black women through its doors.
Photo credit: WENN.com
5. Paris Hilton
In Neil Strauss’ book, Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead, the heiress and Young Money signee (!) was all-too-happy to give her opinion on black men. “I can’t stand black guys. I would never touch one. It’s gross,” she said. Classy!
Photo credit: WENN.com
4. Dog the Bounty Hunter
The once-beloved A&E star and famed bounty hunter (he first made headlines by bringing Max Factor scion/fugitive Andrew Luster to justice) found himself in the doghouse when voicemails of his racist tirades towards his son were released. Dog (born Duane Chapman) urged his son not to be affiliated with “those people,” referring to his son’s then-girlfriend, who was black.
Photo credit: WENN.com
3. Jesse James
Sandra Bullock’s ex-husband is a bit of a trainwreck: aside from cheating on the Oscar-winner with a series of trashy women, he also (according to Bullock) was a racist (he reportedly had a problem with Bullock’s adoption of a black baby from Louisiana) and was caught on camera giving a Nazi salute while wearing an iron cross (one of the many symbols of Nazi Germany).
Photo credit: WENN.com
2. Asher Roth
The “collegiate” white rapper got himself into a world of trouble when, in 2009, he Tweeted that he was hanging out with “nappy-headed hoes.” Le sigh.
Photo credit: Getty
1. Chelsea Handler
50 Cent’s ex-girlfriend is most famous for putting her foot all the way in her mouth when it comes to race relations. Aside from tweeting a can of grape soda at Nick Cannon during their one-time “Twitter beef,” the “comedienne” has been constantly called to the carpet for her countless racially insensitive remarks. But her most recent gaffe was courtesy of last year’s Oscars, when she took over the Huffington Post’s Twitter account and began live-Tweeting during the broadcast. She made countless remarks about Lupita N’yongo (“Angelina Jolie’s adoption papers went through”) and the movie 12 Years a Slave…all to promote her book, Uganda Be Kidding Me, which was a collection of essays about Chelsea and other clueless white women traveling through Africa (specifically, Uganda). In response to the backlash, Chelsea remarked that the slights against the Kenyan actress were to promote the book (because every country in Africa is exactly the same, AMIRITE?!), and claimed that she wasn’t a racist “because she dates a lot of black people.” So, yeah. There’s that.
Talk to Bernadette Giacomazzo on Twitter at @berngiacomazzo and on Instagram at @kbprfirm.
