'Her father is Quincy f*****g Jones': Fans defend Rashida after backlash over her role in ‘#blackAF’
One of the most prominent roles Rashida Jones has wowed us through was as Karen from 'The Office' and Ann Perkins on 'Parks and Recreation'. While people love to hate Karen for trying to spark something with John Krasinski's Jim Halpert when he and Pam Beesley were endgame forever, Jones has now received harsh criticism once again for yet another role that social media is having a hard time accepting.
On the recently dropped Netflix comedy '#blackAF', Jones plays a light-skinned black woman — something that has people complaining that she isn't "black enough" or at all to be playing the role. Little do these people know, Jones is the daughter of legendary music producer Quincy Jones, a fact which other fans are using in Jones' defense, while also lamenting how social media has just become "addicted to outrage."
A Twitter user rationalized the outrage against Jones playing a light-skinned woman after she portrayed a slew of perky white characters on screen, saying: "If anything, #blackAF continues to show how Blackness is a commodity in Hollywood that can propel anyone but non-mixed Black people. Everyone else can access the culture like it's a new career turn. The show basically screamed 'Come see Rashida Jones tap into her Black side'." And another critic commented how "If you notice, most* the people in the #blackAF tag aren’t expressing outrage over the perpetual exclusion of dark skinned black women in these shows. They’re fighting for the right to claim a white passing mixed race woman as a ‘black woman’. That’s where their anger is directed."
But the majority of the outrage was silenced by fans asking people to "Google who her legendary father is please." As a fan pointed out. "Rashida Jones is Quincy Jones’ DAUGHTER. It’s ok to google ppl. She’s light, yes.... but y’all not about to slander this lady like she some rando they found that knows nothing of our culture. Her father IS the culture!" Others remarked of the messy situation, sharing: "People complaining about Rashida Jones in #blackAF proves 1) We’ve become addicted to outrage. 2) Unfortunately, we STILL have to deal with someone being too Black for white people and not black enough for Black people."
Another user chimed in resonating with the thought, saying: "This Rashida Jones thing shows how Twitter has been infested with people that complain about the dumbest shit on here. Her name is Rashida and her father is Quincy fucking Jones."
Fans also defended Jones saying: "Rashida Jones is one of the few actresses who seems to be doing it perfectly. She doesn't take roles from black women. She is a biracial woman who was cast to play a biracial woman. What are ya'll mad about? Make up your damn mind. Is quarantine brain a thing?" And as another pointed out: "I haven’t watched #blackAF yet, but what I do know is that Rashida Jones (daughter of The Quincy) has been black her whole ass life. Y’all love to try and snatch someone’s blackness away if they don’t fit into a box."
Quipping about the entire blow up, a fan summed things up, reflecting: "So let me get this straight- Unless black people are struggling, oppressed, poor, loud and ignorant, or dark skin in a show it’s not black enough?" But haters gonna hate, as is obvious from people noting: "idgaf whomst her father is, rashida jones has no mf business playing a lead role in a show called ‘black af’"
'#blackAF' premiered on Friday, April 17 and all episodes are available for streaming only on Netflix.
