Simu Liu Says The NBA Celeb Look-A-Like Cam 'Wasn't Cool' & People Are Calling Out The Racism
"No disrespect to my man in the videotron either! He's gorgeous we just don't look alike."
Simu Liu at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
Simu Liu is calling out the celeb look-a-like cam at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and people are saying that the comparison is racist.
He played on Team Dwyane Wade during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday, February 17, with Hasan Minhaj, Janelle Monáe, DK Metcalf, 21 Savage and more, beating Team Ryan Smith 81-78.
While he said he enjoyed the game, there was a moment in the second quarter of the match that didn't sit well with the Canadian actor — when the celebrity look-a-like cam compared someone in the crowd to him.
Someone posted a photo on Twitter of the big screen at the arena which showed a side-by-side of Liu and someone who bears no resemblance to him other than them both being Asian.
They had tagged Liu so the Canadian actor responded to the tweet and said, "I had a great time but this wasn't cool."
\u201cI had a great time but this wasn't cool\u201d— Simu Liu (@Simu Liu) 1676692016
Then, on Saturday, February 18, Liu tweeted about the situation again and said, "to be perfectly clear the entire org and ops team surrounding all-star have been nothing but absolutely stellar to myself and all my friends."
"This was just one person with a camera. and no disrespect to my man in the Videotron either! He's gorgeous, we just don't look alike," he continued.
\u201cto be perfectly clear the entire org and ops team surrounding all-star have been nothing but absolutely stellar to myself and all my friends. this was just one person with a camera. and no disrespect to my man in the videotron either! he's gorgeous we just don't look alike\u201d— Simu Liu (@Simu Liu) 1676692016
People came to his defence and called out what happened with the look-a-like segment as racist.
Game of Thrones actor Nathalie Emmanuel replied to Liu's tweet that said it "wasn't cool" and said, "Oh absolutely not."
\u201c@SimuLiu Oh absolutely not.\u201d— Simu Liu (@Simu Liu) 1676692016
"There's not a whole lot of positives with this bit," someone said. "It's either compare white people with white people or be racist."
\u201c@SimuLiu yea there's not a whole lot of positives with this bit. it's either compare white people with white people or be racist lol\u201d— Simu Liu (@Simu Liu) 1676692016
Others said this moment with the celebrity look-a-like cam was "bad," "f*cked up," and that "they could've at least picked someone that looked like" Liu if they wanted to include him in the segment.
Someone else said, "They should be embarrassed."
"Terrible look for the entire league tbh," another person tweeted.
\u201c@SimuLiu They should be embarrassed but they won\u2019t be. This is what Utah is.\u201d— Simu Liu (@Simu Liu) 1676692016
"Love the white people on this thread telling an Asian man how to feel about racism," one person replied, in response to people claiming the comparison wasn't racist.
\u201c@SimuLiu Love the white people on this thread telling an Asian man how to feel about racism \ud83d\ude44\u201d— Simu Liu (@Simu Liu) 1676692016
After the game, Liu posted more about the match on his Instagram stories including a video showing off his three-pointer and a photo of his jersey signed by Wade, who was the captain of his team, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Back in 2022, the Canadian actor sat courtside at an NBA game and the announcer pronounced Liu's name wrong which he seemed to shrug off.
But people on Twitter called out the mispronunciation, saying it's easy to do a Google search of someone's name and that "Anglicising simple pronunciation is the worst."
If you or someone you know has been the victim of racism, or if you are interested in learning more about how you can fight racism in your community, refer to these supports and resources across Canada.