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Actor Brian White set the blogosphere on fire last week with his comments in an interview with Hello Beautiful.  When asked about the negative images of women portrayed in Tyler Perry movies, White replied:

“The most popular character [in, Why Did I Get Married?], and it’s not the one that Tyler picked as the most popular, is Tasha! You have Janet Jackson and Jill Scott; my point is Jill Scott and Janet are huge music stars with huge fan bases, Tasha became the most popular because her character is portrayed the most like “Love & Hip Hop” the most like, “Desperate Housewives of Atlanta,” [we think he means “Housewives Of Atlanta] you might as well switch it around and pop in Nene [Leaks]. [Tasha Smith] is brilliant, she’s nothing like the character, she’s just portraying what she sees in society, magnified.[sic]”

Black women were none too pleased with White’s indictment that the women portrayed in these reality shows weren’t a stereotype, but an actual representation of who they are.  Author Demetria Lucas (A Belle in Brooklyn)  sees there is a pattern in black actors being hyper critical when it comes to their black female fan base.  In an essay titled “Black Actors Shouldn’t Alienate Fans That Support Them” on Essence.com, Lucas also calls out Terrence Howard and Tyrese in their negative comments about black women. Lucas states:

“Earlier this year, Terrance Howard, by now as well known for his acting ability as for his wild–card comments in interviews, was discussing the controversial interracial love story in Red Tails and sang the praises of the non-Black women who (literally) embraced the Tuskegee Airmen in Europe. Many Black women were unamused that he seemed to ignore the loving women back home who shared the airmen’s hue and were standing by, writing letters, and praying for their safe return.

Actor-singer Tyrese has also fallen into this trap multiple times. In August 2011, he chose not to feature black women in his video “I Gotta Chick” and then tried to explain his audition process to irate fans on Twitter: “I welcomed all women and went with the best…. I don’t do favors.” By November, he hadn’t learned his lesson, inciting a collective eye-roll from Black women after he released a video complaining we were “too independent.”

You can read Lucas’ essay in entirety HERE

What say you readers? Is Lucas correct in her assessment that black actors shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds them? Or are black women just too sensitive? Sound off in the comments section below!

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