Awkwafina addresses accusations of cultural appropriation, then quits Twitter

Actor and comedian Awkwafina’s Twitter account has been silent since late 2019, a period that’s seen two major things happen in her life: A massive uptick in her profile and career success, courtesy of films like Crazy Rich Asians, Raya And The Last Dragon, and Marvel’s Shang-Chi, and a commensurate increase in periodic questions about her use of AAVE (African American Vernacular English) and the use of a “blaccent” mimicking stereotypical speech patterns associated with Black Americans in many of her more comedic roles.

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Now, Awkwafina is back on Twitter—but not for long, having posted a lengthy note today addressing accusations of appropriation against her, before announcing that she’ll be quitting the social media service for the foreseeable future.

Awkwafina’s own actions and attitudes toward AAVE only come into things in the last few paragraphs of the post, which mostly reads as an attempt to explain her understanding of the role cultural appropriation has played in the lives of Black Americans. There’s also a perceptible emphasis on carving out a distinction between white Americans appropriating Black culture, and Asian immigrants adopting aspects of the culture they found themselves immersed in as their own.

To wit, she writes: “My immigrant background allowed me to carve an American identity off the movies and TV shows I watched, the children I went to public school with, and my undying love and respect for hip hop.”

As noted by THR, Awkwafina was previously asked about her use of AAVE during the press tour for Shang-Chi, during which she gave a short response noting that she was “open to the conversation,” and thought the topic was “multi-faceted and layered.” Critics have been levying questions at her about these topics for years, dating back to online conversations surrounding her web series Tawk With Awkwafina.

In her statement today, Awkwafina asserted that, “To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not. My. Nature.”