Calls for Jimmy Fallon to be 'cancelled' after 2000 SNL blackface sketch resurfaces online

Outrage has erupted online after footage resurfaced from a 2000 Saturday Night Live sketch of US talk show host Jimmy Fallon wearing blackface.

In the sketch, Fallon, who hosts his own show on the NBC network, is seen in full blackface impersonating the comedian and actor Chris Rock.

A caption on the newly resurfaced video reads:

NBC fired Megyn Kelly for mentioning blackface. Jimmy Fallon performed on NBC in blackface.

This is a reference to the news anchor Megyn Kelly who was fired from NBC in October 2018 for claiming that blackface was acceptable in the context of a Halloween costume.

She soon apologised but he show was still cancelled from NBC as a result.

At the time of writing, it is unclear as to where this video with the caption originated but the hashtag #JimmyFallonisoverparty soon started to trend online.

However, some have been left bemused by the video resurfacing, with many questioning why a clip from 20 years ago is now being dug up.

This isn't actually the most recent time that Fallon has done his Chris Rock impression. In 2017 he made the same impression at the Golden Globes to a largely negative reaction from the audience.

Fallon is hardly the first celebrity to find himself caught up in a racism scandal in recent weeks. Musicians Lana Del Rey and Doja Cat for comments and actions that they had reportedly made.