ShxtsNGigs face major backlash: When will comedians stop targeting Black women for cheap laughs?

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Published Sep 17, 2024 at 01:58 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

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Images courtesy of FLAGRANT from YouTube

Hosts of the popular podcast ShxtsNGigs, James and Fuhad, are facing heavy backlash after a video of them laughing along with racist jokes about Black women made by “comedian” Andrew Schulz went viral recently. The controversy erupted when clips, featuring Schulz promoting harmful stereotypes about Black women, surfaced on social media. This isn’t the first time Schulz has leaned into problematic and disgusting racial humour, and it’s becoming increasingly uncomfortable to watch.

During a discussion on the so-called “Black girlfriend effect,” Schulz took the opportunity to spout derogatory remarks, claiming men who date Black women shave their heads because they’re “stressed” by Black women who “complain about sh*t all the time” and grow beards to soften the blow from getting slapped.

Schulz, a white comedian born and raised in the East Village—a predominantly white neighbourhood—has built a reputation for adopting an on-stage persona that feels like it’s lifted straight from Def Comedy Jam, making jokes about Black people with an unsettling sense of familiarity. Given that he got his start with Charlamagne tha God, it raises the question: Is that why Schulz feels so at ease talking about “sistahs” and “brothas” as if he’s lived that experience?

Social media erupted in outrage over James and Fuhad’s decision to not only sit quietly. At the same time, Schulz unleashed his usual brand of racially-charged ‘humour’ and toxic rhetoric but also actively laughed along as though it were just another punchline.

One outraged user wrote: “James & Fuhad are pathetic. Of all the ‘ick’ they love to talk about on that show, letting a white man call you double slaved to your face while you laugh and submit like a dog MUST be the biggest ick yet.” Another expressed deep upset, saying: “The fact that you guys didn’t say anything, just kiki’d along—your silence spoke volumes. It was very disappointing.”

In response to the backlash, James and Fuhad addressed the controversy, issuing an apology in a follow-up video. They admitted that some jokes made during the episode were “incredibly inappropriate,” particularly those targeting Black women. Both expressed regret, emphasising how uncomfortable they felt at the time and explaining that they had repeatedly tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. They also acknowledged that they should have spoken up more forcefully at that moment and apologised for not doing so.

As previously mentioned, this isn’t the first time Schulz has played into racially charged narratives, either. His entire career has been built on being a chameleon, roasting various races, nationalities, and cultures under the guise of comedy. But while some have previously branded him as an “equal opportunity offender,” others are questioning how he can continuously get away with these jokes, particularly when the consequences of these harmful stereotypes are real and disproportionately affect Black women.

 

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And let’s be clear, Schulz’s tired routine of exploiting racial stereotypes isn’t edgy, clever, or remotely funny. His whole shtick—where he acts like a cultural chameleon, dipping into “urban” slang as though he’s been living in Harlem his entire life—is getting old. It’s cringe-worthy at best, and offensive at worst.

What’s even more infuriating is that Schulz keeps getting away with it, skating by under the guise of “roasting all races” while making his Black guests visibly uncomfortable—like, you can practically feel the awkward tension whenever he veers into race jokes. James and Fuhad’s passivity in this situation has only emboldened Schulz to keep doubling down on his routine. While their apology was necessary, the overwhelming feeling from fans of the podcast is that James and Fuhad should have stepped in more forcefully to challenge these harmful stereotypes rather than contributing to the perpetuation of racial discomfort.