It’s 2025, and in some way, we’re nonetheless watching white media personalities fumble their approach via interviews with Black celebrities. The newest instance? Vainness Honest’s purple carpet correspondent Hannah Berner’s tone-deaf query to Megan Thee Stallion on the 2025 Vainness Honest Oscar’s Celebration.
Fast, inform me proper now—what track of Meg’s makes you need to combat? Proper, precisely, as a result of Berner proudly stated that Meg’s music makes her need to combat as if she was preparing for a UFC match as a substitute of talking to an artist whose music is about empowerment, confidence and reclaiming house.
@vanityfair Reminder: #MeganTheeStallion is that lady. #VFOscarParty ♬ unique sound – Vainness Honest
Now, let’s pause for a second. Think about listening to this query as Megan Thee Stallion, a Black lady who survived violence by the hands of a person, public scrutiny and the relentless invalidation of her trauma. Think about standing there, draped in excessive vogue, on the greatest music evening of the 12 months, solely to have somebody scale back your artistry to a soundtrack for bodily altercations.
No one had a track to supply up. As a result of, let’s be actual, that’s not what Megan’s music is about. Her music makes individuals really feel robust, horny and in management—not reckless and violent.
This wasn’t simply a clumsy second. It was yet one more reminder of why white reporters who haven’t any widespread sense or cultural related background shouldn’t be main conversations with Black artists.
Identical Playbook, Completely different 12 months
If this déjà vu is hitting onerous, that’s as a result of we’ve been right here earlier than. Just some weeks earlier, an AP purple carpet correspondent rudely interrupted an interview with Babyface to flag down one other star she deemed extra essential. The blatant disregard for a Black legend’s time was each disrespectful and unsurprising.
In 2020, we instructed media shops we had been performed with white writers mishandling Black tales. In 2025, we’re saying it once more: We don’t want white correspondents speaking to us on the purple carpet both in the event that they’re not going to do their analysis on our cultural and experiences and above all know find out how to learn the room.
Black artists deserve interviewers who perceive their music, their journey and their influence—not clueless reporters fishing for viral soundbites.
Why Do These Errors Hold Occurring?
Let’s be sincere: these incidents aren’t nearly “not studying the room” or unintentional microaggressions. They mirror a basic failure of cultural competence in mainstream media.
Would a Black correspondent have requested Megan that query? Extremely unlikely. A Black journalist would know that Megan’s music is about survival and self-love, not bodily aggression. Would a Black journalist have minimize off Babyface mid-sentence? No, as a result of we respect our icons.However when white media personalities are given management over these conversations, they expose their lack of awareness—many times.
The Resolution? Rent Black Media Professionals.
It’s time for media shops to cease treating Black artists as props for content material and begin hiring Black professionals who truly respect and perceive them.
There are many Black journalists, content material creators, and on-air personalities who might have dealt with these purple carpet interviews with nuance and respect. There is no such thing as a scarcity of Black media expertise—solely a scarcity of effort from mainstream shops to rent them. If main publications and networks are really dedicated to variety, fairness and inclusion, they should mirror that of their hiring selections.
As a result of in 2025, there’s no excuse for this stage of cultural incompetence.
Berner apologized in an Instagram story that may disappear in 24 hours, so there’s that. Test it out beneath and roll your eyes like I did.
