Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility, slammed Matt Walsh, a well-known conservative podcaster, for posing as an anti-racism activist to trick her into giving reparations to Black producers of an upcoming film she called a “Borat-esque mockumentary.”
D'Angelo vowed in statement On Thursday, she claimed the film was “designed to humiliate and discredit anti-racist educators and activists,” referring to a disturbing scene that played out between her and right-wing public figure Matt Walsh in the documentary “Am I Racist?”
Walsh, 38, went undercover and interviewed D'Angelo, claiming he was interested in anti-racist sentiment, and then asked Ben, a black producer, to accompany him.
Walsh, who works for the conservative media outlet The Daily Wire, persuaded her to give Ben some cash as compensation, after Walsh also chipped in some of his own money in an awkward situation.
D'Angelo, 68, said in a lengthy statement that when he was contacted by a group in 2023 about the documentary, which would be called “Shades of Justice,” it was intended to be about efforts to combat racism in the United States.
She was paid $15,000 to take part (later donated), but when she showed up for the interview “something just didn't feel right,” including the “mismatched wig” she was wearing as a man bun.
But she said Walsh appeared “serious” about his anti-racism work and that his questions were not hostile until the end, when “something strange” happened, leading to an embarrassing reparations scene that clearly embarrassed DeAngelo.
“I felt so uneasy about the way Matt had manipulated this final scene that I emailed my contact person (who went by the name Lee Hampton) and explained that the scene was not an example of reparations and that it could be misleading to viewers,” D'Angelo explained.
“I asked them not to use it in the film and shared some resources outlining legitimate organized efforts for reparations.
“He assured me he understood and said he had not yet decided on compensation. He never contacted me again or responded to my emails.”
She later realised she had been “tricked”.
“This film is not titled 'Shadows of Justice' and is in no way intended to support anti-racist causes. It is a Borat-style mockumentary titled 'Am I Racist?' made to shame and discredit anti-racist educators and activists,” she wrote.
DiAngelo rose to fame when her 2018 New York Times bestselling book, “White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism,” hit bookstores.
Walsh's documentary is set to hit theaters on September 13th, marking the first film The Daily Wire has released on the big screen.
Walsh continued to poke fun at DeAngelo's comments on Thursday, mocking her.
“Robin DiAngelo has issued a statement condemning our film, claiming that it was 'created to humiliate and discredit anti-racism educators and activists,'” he said. I tweeted. “Her assessment is spot on. Thank you, Robin!”
“What I love most about this amazing statement is that she said she noticed my 'mismatched wig' when she first sat down with me,” he continued.
“And yet, somehow she got the interview.”
