‘blackface Without The Makeup’: John Oliver Shreds Florida Gov. Ron Desantis For Impression Of Hakeem Jeffries

Comedian John Oliver tore into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis connected Sunday for doing what he alleged was a racist belief of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

“Holy s***,” Oliver said of nan belief during an section of HBO’s Last Week Tonight. “I ne'er thought I’d spot blackface without nan makeup, but it seems there’s a first clip for everything. I don’t person a ton to opportunity astir that really except, A: f*** you.”

Blackface was a cardinal characteristic successful minstrel shows, a shape of philharmonic theatre successful nan mid-19th and early 20th hundreds of years successful which mostly achromatic performers utilized acheronian shape constitution connected their faces and exaggerated behaviour to mock Black group utilizing racist, demeaning stereotypes.

Oliver’s comments were successful reference to a reside successful April from DeSantis, successful which nan Republican politician imitated Jeffries, among nan astir salient Black governmental leaders successful nan country.

On nan clip aired connected Last Week Tonight, DeSantis appeared to imitate Jeffries by lowering his pitch, waving a digit and adopting his accent.

“We gonna do maximum warfare against Republicans, Florida Republicans, you F astir you gonna find out,” DeSantis said arsenic Jeffries.

The comedian’s remarks came successful nan mediate of an section astir nan ongoing Trump-led effort by Republicans to transportation out a uncommon mid-decade redistricting process to summation nan number of GOP-leaning legislature districts up of nan 2026 midterm elections.

Critics allege nan effort, which includes caller Florida maps that could adhd up to 4 GOP seats, will disenfranchise number voters and rotation backmost protections built aft decades of Jim Crow segregation and efforts to support Black voters distant from nan polls.

Redistricting fights now span 10 states and effect 2 retired of each 5 U.S. residents.

The Independent has requested remark from Jeffries and DeSantis.

The House leader has been nan target of stereotype-based insult earlier from a salient Republican.

Last year, Trump posted a deepfake clip of Jeffries wearing a sombrero and handlebar mustache arsenic he stood alongside Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. In nan spoof video, nan brace make disparaging comments astir nan Democratic Party and immigrants.

At nan time, Jeffries said nan clip was “disgusting.”

“Bigotry will get you nowhere,” he told MS NOW’s Lawrence O’Donnell.

Earlier this year, nan president shared a video connected societal media depicting erstwhile President Barack Obama and erstwhile First Lady Michelle Obama arsenic apes.

The White House blamed nan video, which echoed longstanding racist tropes, connected a staffer who “erroneously made nan post.”