Octavia Spencer Says Neil Patrick Harris’s Oscar Bit Was Not Racist
Octavia Spencer has offered Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris some help from his Academy Awards controversy. After being tagged a racist for asking Spencer, during the show, to guard a box with his Oscar predictions (as if she were, literally, the help), the veteran actress defended Harris.
When the Tony winner jokingly asked Spencer for her help in guarding the box, many took offense, asking why did he ask the only African-American in the front row. Further offense was taken when he asked the Oscar-winning actress to forgo snacks and bathroom breaks during her guard duty.
Now Spencer is coming to Neil’s defense against the onslaught of criticism over his humorous bit. Talking to Access Hollywood, Spencer said: “If a woman had been in the scene besides myself, a white woman, would it have been a sexist thing?... I mean, it’s just crazy that we’ve lost our sense of humor.” Watch the video below to see her full response.
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(Photos from left: Jason Merritt/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
