Holland's Got Talent's Racist Host Is Racist
A reality singing competition in Holland found a way to make ESPN’s racist history look tame.
Last week, Holland’s Got Talent judge Cornelis Willem Heuckeroth, a radio and television personality who goes by the name “Gordon,” made comments about a contestant named Xiao Wang that focused on his race and not his vocal talents. Some highlights included:
“Which [Verdi] number are you singing, Number 39 with rice?”
“Honestly, this is the best Chinese I’ve had in weeks,” Gordon yucked. “And it’s not a takeaway.”
There was also the nice, not-at-all subtle use of the word “surplise” and not a “surprise.”
After Xiao left the stage, Dan Karaty, an American judge on the panel told Gordon, “You’re really not supposed to say things like that to people.”
To which, Gordon replied, “What?”
Because understanding what is and isn’t racist is hard.
Just to be clear, Xiao Wang absolutely killed it, performing Verdi’s Rigoletto. Much better than this dribble pop, Gordon’s song Kom Eens Dichterbij, which translates to “Come Closer.” We’ll leave the objectifying video here for you to snark-giggle to.