We’d like to think when most people have a dumb opinion, they keep it to themselves. But alas, most people are not Megyn Blackface Is Cool Kelly. As a part of her long tradition of going after Black women who couldn’t care less about her, Kelly decided it was a good idea to call MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross “the most racist person on television” and a “dumbass.”
Obviously, Kelly is no stranger to intentionally saying outlandish things about Black folks to get us to pay attention to her. And while typically, I try to ignore her, I like Tiffany Cross, and this ridiculousness deserves a callout.
The thing that sent Megyn Santa Is White Kelly into a bizarre rant on her radio show on Tuesday, was a pretty innocuous segment on Cross’ show about racial dynamics in the NFL.
On her Saturday, Cross brought-up criticism of the NFL’s handling of Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion. She tied the way Tagovailoa, who is Samoan, was treated into the larger issue of racism and anti-Blackness within the NFL.
“To see all these Black men crashing into each other with a bunch of White owners, White coaches, and the complete disregard for Black bodies and Black life,” said Cross, according to Mediate. “I mean, it just represents a larger issue.”
Now it does not appear that Cross actually called Tagovailoa Black, but that didn’t stop Kelly from losing her mind about whether or not Cross had implied he was Black.
“He’s not Black. Hello? You dumbass, Tiffany Cross,” Kelly said on Tuesday, according to Mediate. “She’s the most racist person on television. It’s amazing. Maybe she just doesn’t see color. Anyway, he’s not Black, but according to her he is. Oh, and by the way, his coach isn’t White either.”
Look, the entire thing makes no sense, and is obviously a very sad attempt to get attention. Kelly, who a few years ago tried to tell everyone Blackface is a cool thing to do, is no position to come for anyone else about racism. And, I have no doubt that Cross will have a drag of her own come Saturday.
But it’s actually worth talking about race and concussions in the NFL and the racial dynamics there. For years, Black athletes struggled to get compensation for concussion-related injuries because of race-based measures used to determine cognitive impairment.
And it’s undeniable that a significant percentage of NFL athletes, many of whom suffer life-altering injuries on the field, are Black.
Cross isn’t being racist or stupid for bringing this stuff up, and trying to get her dragged by conservative media for your fifteen seconds of fame is pretty low.