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Terry Crews and DL Hughley

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I can’t say I’ve ever really respected DL Hughley as a comedic voice— or any of his other voices for that matter. I noticed way back on “Comic View,” as a child that when Hughley ran out of material, he’d simply start talking about members of the audience. And while it showcased his improvisational skills and there will always be a place for ribbing, roasting, jonesing etc in Black culture, this consistent practice in Hughley’s sets always rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed like an abuse of power. He had a mic and a captive office, he was literally looking down on people to clown them, and most disturbingly, the people he was clowning, couldn’t respond in a way that the entire audience can hear.

These days, Hughley is known more for his political/social commentary than his comedy. But the strategy of speaking down against his own people, the people who have often supported his career, has not changed.

In fact, now that he’s no longer telling jokes, the ramifications of his words are far more serious.

In an interview, with Vlad Tv, Hughley was asked for his thoughts on Terry Crews’ sexual assault story. He said,

“I think it’s hard for me to think that a dude with all those muscles can’t tell an agent to not touch his ass. I don’t understand it…God gave you muscles so you can say no and mean it.”

Crews saw the video and questioned Hughley about it.

Instead of taking the opportunity to apologize or even ignore Crews, Hughley doubled down on his comments.

Terry shook the table. But on a more serious note, he took the opportunity to speak to the real issue at hand here.

Interestingly enough, Hughley got quiet when Crews offered to slap him.

I know there are those who don’t condone violence. But in my heart of hearts, I can’t say I’m one of those people. There are some occasions when only a good a** whooping will do. And in this instance, Crews is offering to spare Hughley with a mere slap. It’s minor but it would get the message across.

And that message would be, it’s people like him, 50 Cent and Russell Simmons who make male victims of sexual assault feel less empowered to speak out and share their abuses because they don’t want their pain to be compounded by people who either don’t believe them, believe they did something to invite the interaction or believe the victim could have done more to fight off his aggressor.

It’s victim blaming cloaked in homophobia and toxic masculinity. Hughley, instead of simply acknowledging that the sexual assault should have never taken place, insinuates that Crews “wanted it,” because if he hadn’t he would have used his muscles to physically harm Adam Venit, the Hollywood agent who assaulted him.

What type of message does that send to the millions of young boys or grown men who were the victim of sexual assault?

It tells them that they were somehow complicit in their own abuse. That maybe they need to examine their sexuality. And it certainly suggests that if a Black boy or man is sexually assaulted in any way, he likely won’t find allies and advocates in the men who look like him. If Terry Crews, who in a lot of ways, is the picture of masculine strength, is the target of ridicule, what can the more common man expect?

Furthermore, it’s easy to say what Hughley would have done in a situation. Until you’re in it, it’s not your place to speak on what survivors did during an assault or attack. If you don’t know the psychology of enduring that type of violation, keep your mouth shut.

But based on Hughley’s own track record, there’s evidence that he might have decided to take a more convenient approach.

In 2015, when the public was just beginning to speak about the allegations against Bill Cosby, Hughley, in an interview with Sway in the Morning, shared that he failed his own daughter when she attempted to tell him about the sexual assault she had experienced, at the hands of one of his friends.

“The reason it hits home to me is because my youngest daughter said something happened to her and because it was somebody I liked, I didn’t believe her. I’ll never get that back. I’m supposed to protect her. I’ll never get that back. She told her father something and he didn’t do nothing about it because it was inconvenient.”

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In the moment, Hughley shared the story in support of sexual assault survivors. He was speaking of how rape culture and how our propensity to question victims had infiltrated even his own familial and friend relationships. When he shared it, I appreciated his honesty.

But today, it only makes him look like a hypocrite. If Hughley believes sexual assault is to be met with violence, why didn’t he intervene on behalf of his daughter? Why is he willing to hold Crews to a standard he wasn’t able to meet himself? Because Terry has bigger muscles?

Honestly, I think the distinction Hughley is making in his mind is one rooted in homophobia. And given his ignorant, backwards a** thoughts about the LGBT community, it comes as no surprise. Because in Hughley’s world, it’s better for a man to physically defend himself to not be thought gay than it is to believe, defend and protect your daughter from a similar situation.

For reasons yet unknown to me, DL Hughley has a voice within our community. And while he occupies this space, he’s got to find a way to be more responsible. Since time and age haven’t done much to stimulate his growth and compassion when it comes to discussing marginalized communities, outside of straight, Black men, maybe an open palm to the face will do more to help him get his life in order. 

Veronica Wells is the culture editor at MadameNoire.com. She is also the author of “Bettah Days” and the creator of the website NoSugarNoCreamMag. You can follow her on Facebook and on Instagram and Twitter @VDubShrug.
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