Silke Jasso
Members of the deaf community were not amused by Jamie Foxx’s latest appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Videos by Rare
Over the weekend, a clip from the show, where Foxx appeared to make fun of sign language as Fallon cut to commercial, caused a stir.
“Dancing with the Stars” winner Nyle DiMarco took to Twitter after the clip aired and scolded Foxx.
https://twitter.com/NyleDiMarco/status/868323804715524096?
“.@iamjamiefoxx, It is straight up disrespectful to make up sign language,” he wrote. “Everything is in gibberish.”
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DiMarco later tweeted a statement about the clip. He started by saying that Foxx’s behavior on the show “should not be tolerated.”
https://twitter.com/NyleDiMarco/status/868549374699118592
“We simply do not make fun at the expense of other cultures, especially those with a history of being marginalized. When we do this, progress takes a step backward,” he said. “Sign Language is important to me because it’s the bedrock of Deaf culture. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities says Sign Language is a human right of deaf people, and out of the 70 million worldwide, only 2% have access to education in Sign Language.”
DiMarco continued, “This is why I started the Nyle DiMarco Foundation. We are working with other organizations to ensure every deaf child has a usable language before the age of 5. What Foxx did on ‘Fallon Tonight’ made our struggle that much harder.”
Deaf actress Marlee Matlin also addressed the clip on Twitter, writing, “Mr. @iamjamiefoxx. I’d be happy to give you sign language lessons so you could be funnier.”
Mr. @iamjamiefoxx. I'd be happy to give you sign language lessons so you could be funnier. https://t.co/FwaRsKovrg
— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) May 26, 2017
Foxx has not yet responded to the outrage.
(H/T E! News)
