#31: Billy Crystal Faced Backlash For Impersonating Sammy Davis Jr.
When: 84th Academy Awards, 2012
In 2012, the beloved Billy Crystal returned to host the Oscars for a record ninth time, bringing his signature charm and wit to the stage. However, amidst the smooth proceedings, one glaring misstep was the Blackface controversy. Crystal, known for popularizing his Sammy Davis Jr. impersonation in the ’80s on SNL, revisited the character during a CGI segment, this time alongside Justin Bieber in a nod to Midnight in Paris.
While some chalked it up to a bygone era, the backlash was immediate and fierce. Comedian Paul Scheer perhaps summed it up best when in the wake of Octavia Spencer’s Best Supporting Actress win for The Help, he remarked, “Octavia Spencer’s win shows just how far we’ve come since Billy Crystal performed in Blackface.”