Awkwafina Addresses Blaccent And AAVE Criticism; Leaves Twitter

Oh damn!

Signing off. Awkwafina decided to leave Twitter after her statement on the use of a “blaccent” and African American Vernacular English (AAVE) brought backlash.

Awkwkafina responded to longstanding criticism that she uses a fake "blaccent" in her comedy while announcing that she’s retiring from Twitter.  The "Shan-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" star, who was born Nora Lum, has long-faced criticism for her use of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). Some have spoken out on social media to accuse the actress of doing a voice that’s a caricature of a Black person in order to be funny.

Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8.Awkwafina – an Asian-American actress, whose real name is Nora Lum – shared the statement on Saturday (February 5), writing: “As a non-Black POC, 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.“But I must emphasise: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not.

Awkwafina‘s addressing criticism over her “blaccent” use in films, saying she never intended to “mock” or “belittle” anyone for speaking in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE).

Awkwafina finally spoke out about the controversy over her use of a “blaccent.”

Twitter statement. “But I must emphasize: to mock, belittle or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not.

Awkwafina's addressing criticism over her «blaccent» use in films, saying she never intended to «mock» or «belittle» anyone for speaking in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE).The  star posted a lengthy statement Saturday on Twitter, saying she acknowledged the «historical context of the African American community in this country» and that «in life, the linguistic acculturation, immigrant acculturation, and the inevitable passage of globalized internet slang all play a factor in the fine line between offense and pop culture.»For years now, the 33-year-old Golden Globe winner had been taken to task over her «blaccent» use, which is defined as «a manner of speaking used by nonblack individuals that is indicative of AAVE.» One of the most prominent examples came in 2018's when she played Goh Peik Lin.Awkwafina says she's listened to the criticism and working to understand AAVE's context. «But as a non-Black POC, 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 marginalized group,» she said in her statement. «But I must emphasize: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply.

Awkwafina is reflecting on the backlash surrounding her “blaccent.”

Thandiwe Newton is apologizing for the benefits she says she’s gotten as a light-skinned Black actress.

Manchester City's sister club Troyes have confirmed the permanent signing of defender Erik Palmer-Brown two days after the transfer deadline.

NFT scammers.The TV presenter, writer and model seemed to tweet from her official account to her 1.3million followers this afternoon (February 1) with a giveaway on behalf of an NFT community called Azuki.“GIVING AWAY THIS AZUKI NFT ($23,239) To enter – Follow me with [notifications on] – RT & like this – Tag 3 friends,” the post reads.At the time of writing, two additional tweets have been posted from Chung’s account, one reading “Who has my notifications on?” and “Like if active, this is a test”, but it remains unclear whether Chung has regained control of her account.The account later tweeted: “No bs, following everyone who likes and replies.”No bs, following everyone who likes and replies— alexa (@alexa_chung) February 1, 2022Chung’s bio was also changed today, now reading: “simply a degen, marketing expert • DM For Promotions.”Representatives for Chung confirmed she had been hacked after being contacted by Rolling Stone UK – although there has been no word from Chung herself, nor an admission from Azuki.In other NFT news, John Lennon’s eldest son Julian is set to sell a range of non-fungible tokens featuring digitised pieces of Lennon and Beatles memorabilia from his personal collection.

EXCLUSIVE: Teresa Hsiao, co-creator, executive producer and showrunner of Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens, has signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television to develop comedy and animation for cable streaming platforms via her Red 136 Productions.