Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
Actor Tim Allen is facing accusations of racism after a clip from a recent interview with Xilla Valentine went viral on Twitter.
Thanks to everyone who got this clip to over 1.5 million views in less than 24 hours. So grateful.
Tom Hanks joined Tim Allen in the interview as part of the Toy Story 4 press tour. In the clip, Xilla asks the actors to play “Black Jeopardy” then presents a hypothetical scenario with the card game “Spades”. “Do you bid 9? Or do you bid 10 go wells and go all out for it?” Valentine asks. Hanks answers without hesitation “10. Go all out” while Allen attempts to sidestep the questions “I’ve been working Vegas 30 years, I don’t gamble.”
Tom Hanks clarifies by saying “There’s not necessarily money involved, it’s just cred.” But Allen is still confused at the question “I don’t have any idea what you guys just said,” Allen replied, “You don’t play spades?” Asks Hanks, “I’m just going to say I do because I want to move on.” Says Allen.
Nothing about Tim Allen’s response sounded racist, but it brought to light some comments he previously made in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times from 2013. Allen questioned why he couldn’t use the word “n*****” and said, to him, saying “the n-word” was worse.
im sorry… are y’all forgetting tim allen is a whole ass racist i—
There were just as many people confused about the accusations of racism after watching the video. And several users who were embarrassed to admit that they too did not know how to play Spades.
Tim Allen is trending right now because he doesn’t know how to play the card game spades, which apparently means he is racist. My Lord, these are stupid times.
Sees Tim Allen trending.
Panics.
Nope, not dead.
Nope, he didn’t pull a Weinstein.
He’s being called a racist for not knowing how to play a card game.
*sigh*
Me not knowing how to play Spades while everybody goes after Tim Allen
So all of a sudden Tim Allen is racist? Damn y’all really have nothing to do and want to destroy everyone’s career
Other users also pointed out examples of Tim Allen not being racist, such as when he visited a Children’s Hospital as part of the Toy Story 4 press run.
This weekend, actors Tim Allen and Tom Hanks helped The Walt Disney Company kick off its annual Disney Toy Delivery—a part of the Disney Team of Heroes philanthropic initiative—at AdventHealth for Children in Orlando, Florida: t.co/mZRXHzqGXg
There were more posts reacting with confusion and asking why the clip was allegedly “racist” than tweets actually calling the actor racist. There were also several memes and jokes posted at the actor’s expense.
@crissles Tim Allen: Should I get a cup of coffee or somethin’?
Offscreen Voice: The coffee is Black, Mr. Allen.
Tim Allen: Oh, then never mind.
Tim Allen has never been accused by his co-stars or co-workers of being racist during his career as a comedian and actor. Some of the response to the interview could be attributed to the fact that he’s a well-known conservative in Hollywood.
Allen has not commented on the social media outrage or the accusations of racism.