Stacey Dash Slams Oprah for Trayvon Martin Comments While Butler Screening Stirs Allegations of Racial Profiling

Conservative-leaning actress criticizes the media mogul for suggesting Trayvon's death was akin to the Emmett Till case

By Josh Grossberg Aug 19, 2013 2:44 PMTags
Stacey Dash, OprahDimitrious Kambouris/Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Stacey Dash has some harsh words for Oprah Winfrey.

The ex-Clueless star took the media mogul to task for remarks the latter made recently in which she drew a parallel between Trayvon Martin's tragic killing and the death of 14-year-old Emmett Till, a seminal moment in the birth of the Civil Rights movement.

Dash, who has made headlines in recent years for her conservative viewpoints, quoted a line from Malcom X on Twitter last Friday and included a link to a Fox News story that called Winfrey out for making the comparison.

"If you aren't careful, The newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing ~ Malcolm X," she tweeted, before adding, "Shame on you @oprah."

The 46-year-old actress was apparently reacting to comments Oprah made during an interview for her latest film, Lee Daniels' The Butler, when she said the Martin and Till cases were similar and then implied that President Barack Obama was smart not to go on Fox News in the same way he's smart not to do a cameo in her movie when the idea was first broached by The Butler's director, Lee Daniels (who, despite reports from conservative outlets, never got up the nerve to ask Obama to appear in the film).

"That's why Obama is our president, because he knows not to go and get himself in a movie and be on Fox News every day," she said.

Of course, this isn't the first time Dash has criticized her fellow celebs.

Back in April, she blasted Jay-Z and Beyoncé for taking a trip to Cuba. And Dash, who was a vocal supporter of Mitt Romney in the last presidential election, also came to Paula Deen's defense following the latter's recent N-word scandal. 

Meanwhile, a screening in Silver Spring, Md., of The Butler is causing controversy after the largely African-American audience was greeted by a heavy police presence. A tweet sent out by a user named Tiffany Flowers noted that not only did armed officers check patrons' tickets twice upon entering, but they also took up positions inside the theater facing moviegoers and watching for signs of trouble.

Flowers subsequently accused Regal of racial profiling.

"I'd like to take this time to express my utter disgust with @RegalMovies cinema in Silver Spring, MD. You all should stay away from here," she tweeted.

We wonder what Oprah and Stacey have to say about that?

Anne Marie Fox © 2013 The Weinstein Company

A rep for Regal was unavailable for comment, but the company did tell The Huffington Post that it routinely employs security at sold-out screenings to "assist with crowd control and guest assistance" including within its auditoriums.

"At no time did local management receive any guest complaints or concerns about our security or staff, who worked diligently to meet all of our guests' needs," Regal said in a statement. "To the extent any guests were disappointed with their experience, we welcome the opportunity to address their concerns and provide them the best entertainment experience possible in their future visits to our theatres."