'I was engaging in an act of erasure of Black people': Jenny Slate quits Big Mouth

25 June 2020

Jenny Slate will no longer voice a bi-racial character on 'Big Mouth'.

Jenny Slate

In the wake of the recent Black Lives Matter protests, the 38-year-old actress revealed that she has quit the animated show and will no longer play Missy, a Black character whose mother is white.

She said: "At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play 'Missy' because her mom is Jewish and white - as am I. But 'Missy' is also Black, and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people. I acknowledge how my original reasoning was flawed, that it existed as an example of white privilege and unjust allowances made within a system of societal white supremacy, and that in me playing 'Missy,' I was engaging in an act of erasure of Black people. Ending my portrayal of 'Missy' is one step in a life-long process of uncovering the racism in my actions.

"As I look back on the nature and emergence of my own voice in comedy, I know that I have made mistakes along the way. I can't change the past, but I can take accountability for my choices. I will continue to engage in meaningful anti-racist action, to be thoughtful about the messages in my work, to be curious and open to feedback and to do my best to take responsibility for the ways that I am part of the problem.

"Most importantly, though, to anyone that I've hurt: I'm so very sorry. Black voices must be heard. Black Lives Matter."

Along with Jenny quitting 'Big Mouth', it has been revealed that Kristen Bell will no longer play Molly, a mixed-race character in Apple's 'Central Park'.

Co-creator Josh Gad, 39, wrote on Twitter: "We profoundly regret that we might have contributed to anyone's feeling of exclusion or erasure. We're committed to creating opportunities for people of colour and Black people in all roles, on all our projects - behind the mic, in the writers room, in production and in post-production."

Kristen, 39, shared Josh's statement on Instagram and wrote: "This is a time to acknowledge our acts of complicity. Here is one of mine. Playing the character of Molly on Central Park shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege. Casting a mixed race character with a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed race and Black American experience. It was wrong and we, on the Central Park team, are pledging to make it right. I am happy to relinquish this role to someone who can give a much more accurate portrayal and I will commit to learning, growing and doing my part for equality and inclusion. (sic)."