Betty White Wore Mud Mask, Not Blackface

Blackface refers to a racist history of white performers painting their faces to mock Black people. It began during minstrel shows in the mid-1800s, but has persisted to this day, from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to comedians/actors Ted Danson and Jimmy Fallon.

According to the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC): “By distorting the features and culture of African Americans – including their looks, language, dance, deportment and character – white Americans were able to codify whiteness across class and geopolitical lines as its antithesis.”

In the Golden Girls episode in question, Betty White’s character, Rose, and Blanche (Rue McClanahan) are wearing mud masks when they meet a Black woman’s family for the first time. After a moment of impaired-vision confusion, Rose says, “This is mud on our faces. We’re not really Black.”

Some read the scene in as depicting Blackface, while others – including many Black activists – disagree, pointing out that Rose and Blanche were in mud masks, not Blackface. Although their masks were used for the purpose of humor, they were not mocking Black people's features or culture.

Color Of Change Vice President and Chief of Campaigns Arisha Hatch told Newsweek: “Hulu's removal of the Golden Girls' episode was a knee-jerk reaction, offering a superficial, false solution to deeply rooted problems.”

Since Betty White’s character was wearing a mud mask, but was briefly mistaken as being Black, we rate this as commotion.