Christopher Reid of Kid 'n Play fame was recently thrust back into the public eye for his part in collaborating to put together a FOX Sports skit on Colin Kaepernick. The poorly conceived idea caused an uproar, as it featured Reid dressing in a Kaepernick jersey with a black glove on and an afro. What's more, the whole plan came to light through one of Kaepernick's biggest critics, Jason Whitlock, of all people, who tweeted a photo of himself standing next to the fist-raising Kaepernick impersonator. The masses would initially mistake the guy under the wig to be a White man but were disappointed to learn that it was actually 'Kid' of the old school rapping and acting duo who gained fame off of the cult-classic House Party flicks. Last Thursday, September 14, Reid took to Instagram to issue an apology for how the visual came off.
"Look, I get it; taking a pic with Jason Whitlock is like taking a pic with Samuel L. Jackson in "Django"-most people might be perplexed by this act and others will get litty on you and call you a "coon", "sellout" or even worse. These are the pitfalls of a public life. I accept them," Reid wrote, before expanding on his understanding of the blowback he's received. According to Reid, the image isn't what it seems, as he says he is in actuality a supporter of Kaepernick's protest stance. He recounted his rearing in New York City throughout the 1970's and 80's in attesting to his experience witnessing police brutality and insisted that it was never his intention to poke fun at the former 49ers quarterback, but rather, to mock the media coverage he's received. Ultimately, Reid insinuated that after struggling to accept that he was taken out of context, he is moving on and chaulking the whole thing up to a lesson learned.
"Moving forward, I recognize the danger of optics without a proper explanation, people race to their own conclusions, good and bad. I also have to accept my part in this controversy-the fact that my rep was taking hits was shocking at first but I've come to a healthy understanding of how some people were dismayed by what went down," wrote Reid.
Unfortunately, as was the case with the controversial photo, Reid's apology hasn't been well received by the Facebook community. By press-time, it received 167 likes and 34 hearts, but the comments section has been peppered with sarcastic images and gifs of raccoons, smirking celebrities, L's.
Source: ftw.usatoday.com
