Cultural appropriation: Awkwafina joins Ariana Grande, Kendall Jenner and Justin Bieber on roll call of celebrities called out for being insensitive

Asian-American comedian and actress Awkwafina, criticised for the ‘blaccent’ she uses, is not the first celebrity to be called out for cultural appropriation

Ariana Grande, Kendall Jenner, Justin Bieber, Zac Efron and others have also been accused of showing insensitivity

Reading Time:3 minutes

Awkwafina was called out for cultural appropriation for talking with a ‘black accent’. She joins a long list of celebrities accused of insensitivity. Photo: AP/Chris Pizzello

Published: 11:29am, 8 Feb 2022Updated: 11:38am, 8 Feb 2022

Another day, another celebrity embroiled in a cultural appropriation scandal, this time Asian-American actress Awkwafina.

The star of films including Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Crazy Rich Asians and the comedy series Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens, came under fire over her use of a “blaccent”, or black accent, in stand-up comedy, film and TV roles.

Awkwafina, real name Nora Lum, took to Twitter on February 5 to issue a statement about her use of African-American vernacular English (AAVE).

“As a non-Black POC [person of colour], I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE, what is deemed appropriate or backwards toward the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalised group,” she posted. “But I must emphasise: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not. My. Nature. It never has, and it never was.”

In a follow-up post she said she would be quitting Twitter.