Americans were shocked when comedian Larry Wilmore called the president of the United States a “nigga” during the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday. Wilmore was praising Barack Obama’s audacity as 1st black president when he said, “Yo, Barry, you did it, my nigga!”
During a press conference on Monday, a White House spokesman said President Barack Obama “appreciated the spirit of Mr. Wilmore’s expressions on Saturday night.”
“Any comedian who’s signed up to follow President Obama at the White House correspondents’ dinner is assuming one of the most difficult tasks in comedy,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday. “Comedians are going to go right up to the line,” he added.
The expression on the spokeman’s face betrayed the words coming out of his mouth.
Washington Post — Earnest said he had discussed Wilmore’s routine with Obama Monday morning, and the president expressed no qualms about it.
The president embraced that idea, Earnest explained.
“He said that he appreciated the spirit and the sentiments that Mr. Wilmore expressed,” he said. “He ended his speech by saying that he couldn’t put into words the pride that he felt in this president, and he made the observation that this country has made remarkable progress in this lifetime.”
