Justin Trudeau says he doesn't want to be 'definitive' about how many times he wore racist makeup

Justin Trudeau.
(Image credit: Dave Chan/Getty Images)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to say Thursday he didn't wear blackface or brownface on more occasions after photos and videos of three instances surfaced.

Trudeau spoke after a video from the 1990s emerged Thursday morning showing Trudeau wearing blackface, with this coming after Time published a photo of Trudeau wearing brownface at a party in 2001. When that photo came out, Trudeau admitted to having worn blackface in high school as well, and that photo soon emerged.

On Thursday, Trudeau said "this is something that I deeply, deeply regret" and that "darkening your face, regardless of the context or the circumstances, is always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface." This is something Trudeau said he "should have understood" at the time.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Trudeau while speaking to reporters was questioned several times about whether he wore blackface or brownface in more instances than the three that have come to light, and he declined to rule out the possibility that there could be more photos.

"I am wary of being definitive about this because the recent pictures that came out I had not remembered," Trudeau said, adding that because he comes "from a place of privilege," he has had a "massive blindspot." These revelations come a week after Trudeau launched his re-election campaign. Brendan Morrow

See more
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.