Magda Szubanski has been called out for being a “hypocrite” online after photos of her doing blackface in a comedy sketch have resurfaced.
The comedian had taken to Twitter to express her annoyance at Gina Rinehart for failing to condemn the racist comments made by her father, after Hancock Prospecting, run by Rinehart, withdrew its multimillion-dollar sponsorship for the Australian Diamonds netball team.
She said, “Lang Hancock went way beyond plain racism he suggested STERILIZING a race of people. So it’s not virtue signalling – it’s survival! Imagine being asked to wear his name on your back just so you can get funding for your sport.”
One Twitter user took issue with her comments, and shared a photo of Magda performing in a comedy skit in blackface.
In the image, Magda is seen wearing a pink tunic and an afro wig adorned with hair clips, with dark brown paint covering her face.
Twitter users were quick to label Magda a “hypocrite”, saying she had no right to weigh in on the matter following her own racist mistakes in the past.
“Magda you might need to sit this one out,” wrote one commenter.
“But I think you are failing to recognise that Gina didn’t make those comments, you personally wore blackface,” wrote a second, before another added, “Not a good look”.
Following the onslaught, Magda herself re-shared the photo, saying, “I’ve spent the 25 years since then listening and learning. And apologising.”
Some fans accepted her apology, with one person writing, “The world has changed, we have all learnt more since then. Glass houses people, no one lives a perfect existence without anything cringeworthy in your past.”
Image credits: Getty Images / Twitter
This article first appeared on OverSixty.