Podcaster duo ‘didn’t ask for racist jokes to be cut’

A Mobo Award-winning duo who’ve been criticised for laughing at “racist jokes” on a US podcast could have asked for them to be edited out, its host has claimed.

James Duncan and Fuhad Dawodu, better known as Shxtsngigs, have apologised after facing backlash over the episode of Andrew Schulz’s series Flagrant.

The pair said it was a “mistake” not to challenge the host over his comments about black women and blamed a “fight or flight” reaction

In the latest episode of his podcast, Schulz has said they could have asked for the material to be edited out, but chose not to.

BBC Newsbeat has contacted James and Fuhad’s representatives for comment.

Listeners took offence at comments Schulz made during a discussion of the “black girlfriend effect” – the inspiration for a TikTok trend where mixed race couples share how their relationships have changed them

James and Fuhad agreed that black women “glow up the other culture”, but Schulz argued that white men alter their appearance out of a “protective instinct”.

He added: “They shave their hair because they start losing it, because he’s so stressed to be around this black girl complaining all the time.

“They grow their beard because they need a cushion when they get slapped.”

James and Fuhad, who have millions of followers and won a Mobo Award in February, apologised after a clip was widely shared and accused of promoting racist stereotypes about black women.

They said they were “in shock” during the recording session in July and there was “no excuse” for their behaviour.

On his on podcast, which came out on Wednesday, Schulz said he could sympathise with James and Fuhad’s situation.

He said their producer had asked to cut other parts of the show they found inappropriate.

“But with that joke about the black women, nothing,” he says.

“The fight or flight thing wasn’t really there afterwards.”

Schulz also said James and Fuhad had only spoken out now because of the criticism.

“There was no negative reaction after it came out,” he says.

“To me, that’s indicative of somebody who just likes cancelling or causing chaos on the internet trying to bait people.”

Schulz said it was wrong for the guests to apologise, and doing so had “amplified” the situation.

“What you have done is you have empowered the people who have tried to cancel you,” he said.

Fans of the Shxtsngigs podcast have said they feel let down by the clip, saying it plays into the racist “angry black woman” trope.

One, Jorden Berkeley, previously told Newsbeat she’d have expected “even the slightest of pushback” to Schulz’s comments.

James and Fuhad have not publicly responded to Schulz’s latest comments and have not responded to Newsbeat’s request for comment.

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