Donald Glover says the accusations of misogynoir are not only false, but hurtful.
While promoting his new film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the Emmy Award-winning actor, responded to the accusation after two years of discourse.
During a candid sit down with The Hollywood Reporter (THR) on Feb. 7, Glover, 40, opened up about why it was important to ask himself if he was “afraid of Black women” in his 2022 self-interview. The conversation stemmed from the mock “Interview” back-and-forth where he addressed a critique from Dr. Umar Johnson, who blasted him at the time for featuring a white woman in his “This Is America” video.
The star has long been accused of misogynoir by fans, spawning criticism from the way he’s depicted Black women throughout all four seasons of his hit show, Atlanta, and pushback from his rap lyrics centered on his preference for dating Asian women.
Glover said he asked the question because he felt it was something that people often discussed among themselves but never directly asked him about.
“I felt like people really don’t want to know. It is a better narrative,” he said, framing why he asked himself the question. “But anybody who actually knows me knows how much that hurts me.”
His co-star Maya Erskine, who sat near to him during the interview, seems to be shocked that he is bothered by what people think, asking, “It does?”
“Of course,” Glover replied. “But I also realize it doesn’t matter. People are not going to read this and be like, ‘Wow, I was wrong.’
“It hurts you, but what’s your process after, to be like, ‘But I don’t care?’” Erskine says.
The “Star Wars” actor says that he deals with it by focusing on the people who do matter to him, such as his children, his mother, or colleagues like Quinta Brunson, who really knows him.