Da’Vinchi addresses backlash to prior comments about Black Americans, calls statements ‘sloppy’ and ‘clumsy’

The actor best known for portraying Terry “Southwest T” Flenory on ‘BMF’ found himself embroiled in controversy after statements made on Cam Newton’s podcast in early October.

Da’Vinchi is walking back some comments he made earlier this month about Black Americans, calling them “sloppy.”

The “BMF” and “All American” actor was a guest on “The Breakfast Club” on Tuesday (Oct. 27), and when asked about whether slavery was being used as an excuse for where Black Americans are today, he promptly denied it.

“It’s legitimately why we’re here today,” Da’Vinchi said after a brief pause. “It’s not an excuse; it’s a reality. It’s why we’re here.”

The actor was a guest on Cam Newton’s “Funky Fridays” podcast earlier this month for a lengthy sit-down chronicling the end of “BMF” and a longstanding debate regarding Black American actors vs. non-American Black actors. Although he didn’t single out a particular actor or show, Da’Vinchi made a bold characterization, one that struck a nerve with many online.

“I do think that the work ethic of Americans is one that people in a higher position don’t feel they can trust them,” he said at the time, adding, “I feel like my generation, our generation, what we’re seeing is that humans are becoming more incompetent.”

Part of the reasoning behind Da’Vvinchi’s comments came from his upbringing as a Haitian-American man and his roots in a culture that leans on independence, particularly for young adults.

“In America, no shade to you guys, but the way the culture moved the majority of its citizens, you’re just incompetent for a really long time,” he told Newton. “I think this country promotes that.”

Online, many denounced Da’Vinchi and his comments for being “anti-Black.” Among the strongest detractors was Jemele Hill, who wrote on Threads, “Da’Vinchi is definitely that dude who thinks because he speaks slowly and deliberately that he’s saying something smart.”

Despite taking purposeful breaks from social media, Da’Vinchi realized the backlash wasn’t just online when friends reached out to him personally.

“To make it clear, I’m not on social media as much. I didn’t know how bad things were until people were calling me. I was like, ‘What is going on?’ The things that I saw, I saw something that said, ‘I saw something that said I think black people are lazy?’ I was like, ‘Where did that come from?’ I had to sit down and watch the interview for myself. Just to be clear, I used a harsh word. I should have used a different word.”

He added, “I was speaking about the nation as a whole. I know my wording was clumsy. So I shouldn’t have used harsh language like ‘incompetent.” I should have definitely used different language, you know? I think the language was too abrasive for a nuanced conversation.”

The actor told Charlamagne Tha God & Co. that the perception of him saying “forget slavery” was “alarming,” to which Charlamagne countered, “Every time we’ve tried to move past slavery, there have been other things that have stopped our progress.”

Eventually, the actor offered a full apology for his past statements.

“I apologize that my wording was harsh,” Da’Vinchi said. “My message that I was trying to convey got lost with my clumsy wording. I shouldn’t have said this like that. I see how they took that, I see it. So it was like, yeah, it was kind of sloppy.”

Whether Black people online find it sincere is another matter.