David Walliams sparks outrage with 'racist' Kim Jong-un costume
Comedian was accused of racism and 'yellow-face' over his Halloween outfit
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.David Walliams has caused upset over his Halloween costume, which saw the British comedian dress as North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
The Little Britain star posted a photo of himself on Twitter dressed in a black suit, wig and apparent prosthesis - which appeared to have altered his eyelids as well as his hairline - and sparked an immediate backlash.
Many people branded the costume "racist" and accusing him of "yellow-face".
Walliams' controversy takes place just two weeks after his comedy partner Matt Lucas said that certain aspects of their show would be "too offensive" today.
Lucas said it would be "very hard to play characters of other races now... we would definitely approach it very differently".
He also told the Big Issue that he would do things differently if they made the show again: "We made a more cruel kind of comedy than I'd do now.
"Society has moved on a lot since then and my own views have evolved," he added. "Now I think it's lazy for white people to get a laugh just by playing black characters."
Others on social media pointed out that it was insensitive for Walliams to dress as Kim Jong-un given the North Korean leader's appalling human rights record.
In 2015, North Korean defector Yeonmi Park, who escaped when she was 15, criticised the West for laughing at him.
"His haircut is funny. He is fat. He is like a cartoon character somehow, and he might try to kill me but now I am free, so I can say anything I want," she told an audience at the One Young World Summit in Bangkok.
"Kim Jong-un is not a joke to me. He was a God I had to worship every day. He is a murderer. Making fun of dictators cannot be enough. Why is it so funny?"
The Independent has contacted a representative for David Walliams for comment
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments