30-year-old comedian Andrew Desbordes, better known as Druski, has sparked controversy following his recent comedy skit, which has critics accusing him of “white-face.”
Despite being ranked the funniest person on the internet by Complex last year, not everyone found Druski’s latest stunt amusing. The “NASCAR Whiteface Sketch,” as it’s been commonly dubbed, may have ruffled some feathers, but few can deny the depth, character development, and nuance in Druski’s portrayal of a Middle American NASCAR fan. His Oscar-worthy walk, paired with a characteristic twang that has become synonymous with anti-Black racism in America, made the performance all the more convincing.
In his newly viral video, officially titled That Guy Who Is Just Proud to Be AMERICAN (American flag emoji included), Druski doesn’t use cheap cosmetics and kids’ party face paint. Instead, using prosthetics and professional makeup of the caliber that once allowed Sean and Marlon Wayans to convincingly embody ‘White Chicks’, he painted his body completely white, donned blue denim overalls, a cowboy hat, and a brown mullet, dyed his facial hair to match, and sported an American flag tattoo on his chest.
Throughout the skit, Druski repeatedly sang Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” a song that, despite criticizing American society and America’s treatment of Vietnam veterans, has often been misappropriated as an informal national anthem by certain groups.
While in character, Druski smoked a cigarette with an elderly white woman who sat on his lap, spat on the ground while interrogating a Black man attempting to enter the NASCAR event, and displayed a profound connection to the national anthem. During the interrogation, his disguise proved far more convincing than Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G and the man appeared completely deceived by the performance. As the visibly affected man walked away, Druski shouted after him: “Find something safe to do!”
But while some are calling the skit “comedy gold,” others are calling Druski out… and here’s why:
Some viewers are demanding that Druski be held accountable in the same way a white comedian would be if he had done the reverse. However, while the history of blackface is tied to oppression and mockery, whiteface does not carry the same historical weight. For this reason, Black performers portraying white characters rarely spark the same outrage.
Others argued that Druski’s portrayal was offensive to Southern culture and NASCAR fans, perpetuating negative stereotypes about an entire community.
Some critics claimed that Druski’s skit opened the door for white and non-Black performers to use blackface. This criticism grew louder when MAGA-aligned comedian and podcaster Theo Von tweeted: “Wowwww. Anyone do hair and m/u? Hit my DMs… I feel a jheri curl coming on.”
Both comedy and Druski often blur the line between what is socially acceptable and what is “cancel-worthy.” And whilst it is unclear how the criticism will affect Druski’s career, it doesn’t appear to be affecting Druski. In true Druski fashion, he laughed off the criticism with a tweet that simply read: “AM I CANCELLED????”