Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Seth Meyers To Rudy Giuliani: 'Shut The F*** Up' About Being Black In America
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 12, 2016
Modified Jul 12, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 12, 2016
Modified Jul 12, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Television news producers know by now that having Rudy Giuliani on their programs is like broadcasting a ten car pile-up happening in real time—so that's why they book him. Coming off the heels of his tone-deaf, racist remarks criticizing the Black Lives Matters movement—"The real danger to you is that black kid who is going to shoot you on the street"—on MSNBC, Giuliani appeared on CBS's Face the Nation to declare, "When you say black lives matter, that's inherently racist. Black lives matter. White lives matter. Asian lives matter. Hispanic lives matter. That's anti-American, and it's racist."
Giuliani also had some thoughts about being black, "If I were a black father and I was concerned about the safety of my child, really concerned about it and not in a politically activist sense, I would say be very respectful to the police, most of them are good, some can be very bad and just be very careful. I'd also say be very careful of those kids in the neighborhood, don't get involved with them because son, there's a 99 percent chance they're going to kill you not the police."
Seth Meyers put it well on his show last night: "First of all, don't ever start a sentence with the phrase 'If I were a black father.' If you are a black father, you don't need to say it. And if you're not, you should probably just shut the fuck up."
Luckily, Face the Nation had Wellesley, MA police chief Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, to refute Giuliani's claims that the Black Lives Matter is harming police officers' lives: "I wouldn’t make that connection,... I wouldn’t say that it’s Black Lives Matter that put a target on those police officers. Unfortunately, I think, you know, people have really polarized this issue. If we really want to work towards solutions, we need to work together."
Yesterday, a Clickhole article summed up the problem Giuliani and other stupid people have in an article titled, "If Black Lives Matter Isn’t A Racist Hate Group, Then Can Someone Please Explain To Me Why I Keep Insisting They Are?"
An editorial in the NY Times reminds everyone, "Those who remember Mr. Giuliani as the hectoring mayor of New York know what he has to offer any conversation on race and violence — not a lot...In 1999, when Mr. Giuliani was New York’s tough-on-crime mayor, Amadou Diallo reached for his wallet and was cut down in a hail of police bullets. Patrick Dorismond was minding his own business on a Manhattan street in 2000 when Mr. Giuliani’s undercover officers confronted him and shot him dead. In one of the disgraceful acts of his or any mayoralty, Mr. Giuliani smeared the victim’s reputation and released part of his juvenile police record, as if to suggest that he deserved to be murdered."
So, please TV producers—stop putting Giuliani on your shows. Except you, Fox News, we know how much you love his divisive trolling.
Tagged
black lives matters
racist old mayor
rudy giuliani
seth meyers
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
GOP candidates in NY face a changed landscape on immigration
The 'migrant crisis' has changed markedly since the voters went to the polls two years ago.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
Mamdani plans redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue after nurse killed in hit-and-run
Sunset Park residents and street safety advocates have called on city officials to make the avenue safer for years.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Mamdani plans redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue after nurse killed in hit-and-run
Sunset Park residents and street safety advocates have called on city officials to make the avenue safer for years.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
NJ Gov. Sherrill: Election is secure, noncitizens taken off voter rolls
By
Michael Sol Warren
Ex-NYPD officer again faces murder charge in George Washington Bridge shooting
By
Samantha Max
Former NYC buildings boss helped reopen mayor's favored restaurant despite health violations
By
David Brand
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .