Keith Olbermann Condemned For Calling Trump 'Whiny Little Kunta Kinte'

Olbermann compared Trump to the “Roots” character with no explanation, prompting immediate blowback

Yahoo

Keith Olbermann — formerly of MSNBC and ESPN — drew immediate condemnation Tuesday when he labeled President Donald Trump a “whiny Kunta Kinte” in a tweet.

He made the remark in response to Trump’s decision to insult Fox News while doing an election day interview on the network, prompting the “Fox & Friends” hosts to defend their employer in an attempt to get the conversation back on track.

Twitter users quickly pointed out the comparison to the “Roots” character — a Black slave who stood up to his masters — made little sense in context. The character, portrayed by LeVar Burton, was unshakeable and brave, not whiny.

Some questioned whether Olbermann was trying to find a way to call the president a vulgarity that is similar to the first four letters of Kunta’s name.

Regardless of his unclear intent, Olbermann’s comment was quickly called racist, by commentators on the left and right alike.

Some observers kept their criticism gentle, urging Olbermann to “rethink” his tweet. Singer Kehlani asked, “What is life anymore?”

Others, like activist Shaun King and former NFL player Stephen White, were harsher, asking, “What the f—?”

Singer Kimya Dawson let him have it, writing, “You should’ve just said c— If you meant c— and not tried to be funny. This s— is racist and inaccurate as f—. Calling Kunta Kinte whiny?! WHINY?! How f—ing dare you.”

A representative for Olbermann did not immediately return a request for clarification on the comparison or comment on the Twitter reaction. By late Tuesday morning, Olbermann’s tweet had only 350 retweets, but nearly 8,000 quote tweets.

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