Whoopi Goldberg Slams Black Lives Matter Activist Over ‘Planet of the Apes’ Criticism (Video)

Whoopi Goldberg tore into DeRay McKesson on Wednesday’s episode of “The View” over the prominent Black Lives Matter activists tweets criticizing the movie “War for the Planet of the Apes.”

In two now-deleted tweets, McKesson seemed to suggest that the filmmakers were attempting to invoke his image by dressing one of the apes in the movie in a blue jacket. McKesson has become known for dressing in a blue vest.

“Given the history of rendering black people as apes, I’m offended & appalled by the lack of consciousness in Hollywood,” the civil rights activist wrote in the tweets, which were displayed on the ABC daytime talk show. “In associating black people with apes, active work is being done to perpetuate the dehumanization of black people in mass media.”

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“DeRay, you need to go back and watch the 1968 original and check out what the apes were wearing,” Goldberg said, referencing the 1968 film “Planet of the Apes,” which depicted the apes in similar blue jackets. “This has nothing to do with you. This was a movie about what happens when mankind doesn’t pay attention to environment, to how we treat animals and each other. That’s what that movie was about. And at the end of the movie, when they’re riding around and you realize it’s here, that’s what the movie was about. Get over yourself!”

Goldberg’s co-host Sunny Hostin attempted to defend McKesson, suggesting that the tweets could have been describing something else. “I know DeRay. I think he’s done incredible work as a social activist. I’m still confused as to what his tweets actually meant,” she said. “Is it possible that he perhaps meant something else?”

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“Does he not speak English?” Goldberg responded. “He wrote what he meant. It has nothing to do with him. It has nothing to do with black people, it has nothing to do with any of this. Quit trying to do that. You’re doing great stuff, don’t screw it up by doing something dumb.”

McKesson responded to Goldberg via Twitter, tagging Goldberg in a tweet. “If you have something to say, I’m here,” he wrote.

“Now, with the #PlanetOfTheApes poster & toy, I was contacted by folks within Hollywood who thought there was an issue, hence those tweets,” he continued. “After speaking with even more people about the history of the film, I deleted the tweets.”

Watch the video.