Amy Schumer Denies Being Racist

Amy Schumer doesn't believe that she's a racist. The comedienne responded to the backlash she endured after a September 2016 Lenny interview with pal Lena Dunham. In the piece, Dunham dissed New York Giants football player Odell Beckham Jr. by implying that he was eyeing her like a bad piece of meat when they were seated together at the 2016 Met Gala. During a portion of the interview, Dunham said, "The vibe was very much like, 'Do I want to f**k it? Is it wearing a...yep, it's wearing a tuxedo. I'm going to go back to my cell phone." Dunham later apologized, but social media has been slow to forgive.

After the Lenny segment, a Twitter user wrote to Schumer (via the New York Daily News), claiming the ladies "refuse to see that misogyny among men of color, while hideously prevalent, is no more so than among white men."

Schumer replied, "How would you know? Statistically who is hollerin at you in the street more pa?" Schumer quickly deleted her tweet and blamed the band who was opening for her on tour for using her account. A lot of people didn't buy that story, including actress Gabrielle Union, who told XoNecole, "Maybe I can help to explain the oppressive systems that have benefited [Schumer and Dunham] and allowed them to say these careless, insensitive and offensive things."

On Watch What Happens Live on Sept. 26, 2016, host Andy Cohen asked Schumer about the controversy during his "Plead the Fifth" segment. "People definitely target Lena," she said. "I can't think of anybody I'm racist against...When I get accused of that, I'm just like, 'You got the wrong Jew. You got the wrong Jew. You're barking up the wrong Jew!'" Schumer added, "Everybody has room to learn more about other cultures and racism, what's offensive and what's not. I spoke up a little bit just 'cause I want to get my girl's back. I love Lena. I know she has the best intentions. I think we all have room to learn."

When Cohen asked her on a scale of 1 to 10 to rate the likelihood of her show, Inside Amy Schumer, coming back for another season, she squealed, "I'm gonna take a number five on the scale and pleading the fifth!"