Amanda Seales Calls out Justin Timberlake and Other White Celebs

Amanda Seales has never been one to bite her tongue, and now the co-host of The Real is calling out other celebrities on Instagram. Seales has developed a reputation for speaking out about injustices, especially those that plague women and the Black community. Most recently, Seales has been speaking out about Ahmaud Arbery.

Arbery was a 25-year-old Black man who was killed in February while going for a jog by two White men. Arbery was unarmed and his tragic death was recorded. Video footage of the horrific crime has been spreading quickly around the Internet. Until May 7, 2020, the murders had not been arrested. But, given public outrage, petitions, phone calls, and increased visibility of the case, they now have. Celebrities like Seales have also joined in on the conversation via platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

Amanda Seales calls out White celebrities on Instagram

But, Seales isn’t impressed with the way some White celebrities are choosing to show their support for the Black community. In a recent Instagram video, Seales did her own version of the song “Turn Off The Lights” by Teddy Pendergrass, which urged White celebrities to engage in difficult discourse with their fans and followers. A comedian, the “Insecure” actress often uses humor to convey her point and she certainly did that in her latest video.

In her video’s caption, Seales specially called out Justin Timberlake for electing to turn off his comments when he posted about Arbery on his Instagram page. “If you’re not outraged, you should be. Justice for #AhmaudArbery,” the “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” artist captioned under a photo of Arbery. Seales stated that Timberlake, and other White artists, weren’t doing the work of true allies. She argued that it was important for White artists to see who they had following them and it was vital to completely engage in the conversation.

‘The Real’ co-host wants Justin Timberlake and others to engage in discourse

“Turn On the Comments. Dedicated to @justintimberlake and the white artists showing ‘solidarity’ posting about #ahmaudarbery but closing their comments/IG replies. Ain’t no half steppin. This is how you ally. You get in the weeds with your fans who are also fans of racist rhetoric. #TURNEMON.” Seales captioned her latest Instagram video.

Naturally, people had a myriad of reactions to Seales’ video. Some argued that she always spoke the truth even if it wasn’t something that people were comfortable hearing. “She’s always going to say what needs to be said, whether y’all like it or not. She is for the culture. Period,” one person wrote on Instagram. Others felt that there wasn’t anything wrong with the way that Timberlake chose to show his support. They argued that “nitpicking” over how people show support was sure to make things more divisive.

Instagram users have mixed opinions

Some Instagram users agreed with Seales and speculated that Timberlake’s audience, and many of his fans, wouldn’t like that he was speaking out against brutality on Black bodies. Others felt that Timberlake had never been an ally to Black people given his penchant for cultural appropriation and throwing Janet Jackson under the bus via their infamous Superbowl halftime performance. “Never Eva Forget how he played JANET 😒 #beeeeenwack,” one person commented. It’ll be interesting to see if Timberlake responds to Seales. More importantly, we wonder if he’ll dare to turn on his comments