Julianne Hough Dons Blackface For ‘Orange Is The New Black’ Halloween Costume

Julianne Hough decided to sport blackface makeup for a Halloween party for which she dressed up as Uzo Aduba’s character Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black.

Hough received ample backlash after pictures of her in costume surfaced following the weekend party. The 25-year-old actress, in addition to the dark face makeup, pulled her hair up into several knots, wore an orange prison suit over a gray long-sleeved T-shirt and a faux prison ID tag featuring Aduba as Crazy Eyes.

The dancer, singer and actress was accompanied in the Orange Is the New Black-inspired costume with a handful of friends that appeared to take on other characters on the show – main character Piper Chapman (Taylor Shilling), Alex (Laura Prepon), Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) and Trish (Madeline Brewer) A male friend also dressed up as cop “Pornstache,” played by Pablo Schreiber. No one besides Hough portrayed a black character and chose to go blackface.

Following the uproar on social media and from fellow actors, Hough took to Twitter to apologize for her insensitivity. "I am a huge fan of the show Orange is the New black, actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created," Hough wrote. "It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize."

The history of blackface includes minstrel shows and vaudeville acts, which used the dark makeup to deliver stereotypical caricatures of black individuals, perpetuating racist archetypes. The practice was put to an end in the 1960s during Civil Rights Movement.

– Chelsea Regan

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