Trevor Noah Slams Internet Racists Outraged by Black Ariel in The Little Mermaid:

Trevor Noah has joined the growing number of celebrities fighting back against racist backlash to Disneys live-action The Little Mermaid, which stars singer Halle Bailey as the mermaid princess Ariel. Some fans are upset that a Black actor is headlining the new movie, to which Noah responded: Really, people were doing this again?

Trevor Noah has joined the growing number of celebrities fighting back against racist backlash to Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which stars singer Halle Bailey as the mermaid princess Ariel. Some fans are upset that a Black actor is headlining the new movie, to which Noah responded: “Really, people — we’re doing this again?”

Addressing claims that Bailey looks “nothing like” the Ariel in Disney’s 1989 animated movie, Noah said on “The Daily Show” that such an accusation is bogus. “Nothing like? They both have the tail, they both have the red [hair],” the host said.

“Once again, a bunch of internet racists are upset that a fictional character is being played by a Black person. This is so ridiculous,” Noah continued. “And honestly, I don’t know what the big deal is. You guys realize that Nemo was Black too, right? Yeah! The whole movie was about a fish that can’t find his dad.”

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Jokes aide, Noah told racist trolls to “stop being ridiculous” and reminded them that “it’s imaginary” when it comes to the world of “The Little Mermaid.” Whoopi Goldberg expressed a similar thought on “The View” earlier this month, reminding fans who are upset with Black actors starring in fantasy projects such as “House of the Dragon” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” that these worlds are entirely made-up.

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“They don’t exist in the real world,” Goldberg said of the two series. “You know that? There are no dragons. There are no hobbits. Are you telling me Black people can’t be fake people too? Is that what you’re telling me? I don’t know if there’s like a hobbit club, I don’t know if there are gonna be protests, but people! What is wrong with y’all?”

Noah concluded his thoughts on “The Little Mermaid” by saying, “I hope this scandal doesn’t overshadow the rest of the movie. ‘The Little Mermaid’ is a beautiful story about a young woman changing her core identity to please a man. Let’s not forget about that, people.”

Rob Marshall directed the live-action “Little Mermaid,” which stars Bailey opposite Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Jonah Hauer-King, Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy. The film opens May 26, 2023 from Disney.

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