Whose Line Is It Anyway controversy

In 1988, a show called Whose Line Is It Anyway? debuted on the British television network Channel 4. At that time, there was no way for anyone to know how popular the show would eventually become. After all, not only would the show make several comedy performers famous, it would spawn an American version that has been on the air for many, many years.

After only appearing in three episodes of Channel 4’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Wayne Brady began starring in the American version of the show. Over the last twenty years, Brady has appeared in more than 150 episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway and left the show’s laughing every time. On top of that, Brady won the second season of The Masked Singer by leaving audiences swooning at his amazing vocal abilities. Based on all the success Brady has enjoyed, he is known best for eliciting smiles and laughter However, during one fateful episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Brady played a pivotal role in the show tackling racism.

When Whose Line Is It Anyway Got Real About Racism

Over the years, the stars of Whose Line Is It Anyway? have often proved that they are willing to go pretty far to garner laughs. For example, the internet went wild in 2021 when it was reported that Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Colin Mochrie hit a fan over the head with a videotape. Later on, it came out that the incident all was part of a sketch for an as-yet unaired TV pilot Mochrie was working on. As a result of how committed they are to their comedy, the most popular Whose Line Is It Anyway? performers have accumulated a lot of money.

Even though the stars of Whose Line Is It Anyway? seem to love making audiences laugh, that doesn’t mean that humor is all they care about. For example, Wayne Brady posted a clip from an old episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? during the height of the George Floyd protests. While it may seem very odd to post a clip from a comedy show in that circumstance, the video that Brady posted revolved around racism and was shockingly relevant to the situation.

During the aforementioned video, Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, and a third white male performer can be seen standing in a line. Ryan Stiles can be seen standing in front of the trio when he says “Can you pick out the man who robbed you?”. Mochrie and the other performer can then be seen gesturing at Brady in reference to racism in the criminal justice system.

When the two white performers began gesturing to Wayne Brady in the aforementioned clip, the audience and Aisha Tyler clearly can be heard laughing. While it is very clear that the moment was meant to harmlessly elicit laughs, Brady stayed behind for a moment to comment on the joke. “Y’all know that is f***ed up right?” For anyone thinking that Brady was only taking the joke further when he said that, it is worth noting what Wayne wrote on Instagram when he posted the video. “When you’re joking but not really. When comedy and the truth meet up...”

Moments after the initial Whose Line Is It Anyway? joke about his race, Wayne Brady and host Aisha Tyler teamed up to turn the tables and say something really important about society. After all three white male Whose Line Is It Anyway? performers who were part of that episode line up, Tyler pretends to be a law enforcement officer and asks a telling question.

“Sir, can you pick out the men who embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars from the American economy and then made you pay for it?” Brady then responds, “you mean after systematically devaluing my education and relegating me to certain neighborhoods whereas I couldn’t actually pursue the education that would enable me to rise to meet a certain fiscal stature in this country?”. Finally, Tyler then says “and also preventing you from making any loans for homes, or jobs, or businesses, or getting a car lease”.

Wayne Brady’s Race Has Been A Point Of Tension For Him At Other Times

As anyone who has seen Wayne Brady perform should be able to attest, he is an extremely talented person, to say the very least. However, that sadly doesn’t mean that Brady always gets treated with respect. For example, during one episode of Chappelle’s Show, the legendary comedian Paul Mooney made a crack at Brady’s expense. “White people love Wayne Brady because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X.

Several years later in 2021, Wayne Brady went on the Breakfast Club where he was asked about Mooney’s joke and the Whose Line Is It Anyway? star didn’t mince words. “The joke was wack. It’s not a funny joke.” Furthermore, Brady commented on being held to stereotypes of how black people are supposed to act.

“He made that joke based on the fact that he felt that Black culture would laugh at Bryant Gumbel and Wayne Brady,…these words have power culturally. You would tear down two people who are trailblazers in their own thing to get across the point that they’re not Black enough. You don’t own my Black card, Paul. Nobody owns my Black card.”

Next: Taraji P. Henson's Foundation Advocates Against Racism In Classrooms