Watch the full interview now as a VladTV Youtube Member: Click Here
Part 14: Aries Spears: I Would Snitch on My Son in Court Like Ksoo's Dad Did
Part 1: Aries Spears on Dissing Ice Cube's Acting Before Cube's New Movie Got 0% on Rotten Tomatoes
--------
Comedian Aries Spears discussed the controversial Oscar nomination of Robert Downey Jr. for his portrayal in a role involving blackface. Spears acknowledged the historic baggage of blackface as a disrespectful trope but found Downey’s performance ironically funny, emphasizing it was not traditional blackface mockery. He referenced a Netflix documentary on the Ed Sullivan Show, highlighting early televised blackface performances like Amos ’n’ Andy, framing them as “low-hanging fruit” in comedy that should be reconsidered. Spears criticized the irony of a white actor earning major accolades for playing a black character, questioning whether a black actor could receive the same recognition for performing in whiteface. He reflected on Hollywood’s racial dynamics, noting past works like Eddie Murphy’s “Coming to America,” where Murphy transformed into a white character but didn’t receive Oscar nods.
