The zillionth reason I'm proud of Will Packer is his response to being called a 'Black director'
Channing Crowder embracing being light-skinned but questioning Black labels is ruining "Pivot Podcast"
“The Pivot Podcast” and “What Now?” are the only two podcasts that I’ve watched without knowing who the guests were, and I stuck around solely because I enjoyed the hosts enough to learn about newbies (to me). But over the past year, one-third of the “Pivot Podcast” hosts Channing Crowder has started to make me dislike this show as much as Faux News (aka “The Breakfast Club”).
I cannot tolerate The Breakfast Club’s non-stop colorism and awkward jokes about everything from statutory rape to why former Vice President Kamala Harris needed to act more sassy like attorney Fani Willis. The reasons I hate that radio show could fill up a scroll. And lately, I’m getting the impression — mainly from the Atlanta native’s nonstop “jokes” about being a dime and bringing up who is light-skinned — that he’s gunning for The Breakfast Club clicks.
They don’t have to. NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder are almost perfect as is on their podcast without the low-hanging fruit. The worst part is Channing Crowder is actually hilarious when he’s not on this type of time. I can’t wrap my mind around why he keeps going back to paper bag humor.
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Every single time anybody light-skinned is on the show, Channing Crowder immediately gets an extra glee in his eyes and cannot wait to talk about how handsome they are. The episode with Boris Kodjoe may as well have been “Lip Service.” It’s cool to hear grown men tell other grown men they’re good-looking, but it felt like fan girling after the fourth or fifth time.
Tyriq Withers didn’t take the bait and repeatedly commented on privilege and not getting wrapped up in entitlement. Kenyon Martin Sr. was so intense at some points that I was just relieved to see that man smile at all. Josh Hart could’ve fallen into the “let me talk about how handsome I am cause I’m light-skinned” trap, but he seemed far more interested in discussing his (very pretty) wife’s effect on his career.
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While I could normally brush these skin complexion comments from Channing Crowder off as “just jokes,” the problem is when someone dark-skinned who is equally handsome comes on the show, they get questions from Channing Crowder about only playing thuggish roles (i.e., Woody McClain), why they like anime and don’t spend more time pining after women (i.e., Brian Burns) or being accused of “being an asshole” (i.e., Aldis Hodge).
The Aldis Hodge interview was when I threw in the towel and stopped watching the podcast altogether. As I said when I saw him on “Houseguest”:
I have never understood men saying "Hate to see you go, but love to see you walk away" more now than I ever did before. He was just walking in the house, and you know he's fine just from the top of his head to his ankles. Sheeeeeesh.
-my observation of Aldis Hodge on Scott Evans’ “Houseguest” podcast
Additionally, the “Alex Cross” actor is repeatedly seen cracking jokes during almost all of his interviews. Even with a toothpaste-commercial-worthy smile, his cheerful personality was dismissed. The same guy who defends wearing barefoot slippers and explaining why Yorkies are “manly” dogs was summarized as an asshole? I was pissed.
The Will Packer interview that brought me back to “Pivot Podcast”
There are some people in the entertainment industry who I’m never going to miss an interview about. Will Packer is one of them. (Will Packer is also the reason I’ve been in an 11-month debate with hundreds of YouTubers, who are pissed off about me ridiculing people for chaining elephants during musth. I don’t give a damn. Stay away from the elephants and you won’t have to deal with what Will Packer saw in person.)
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Will Packer is also extremely handsome. Aldis Hodge-level handsome but in a shorter man’s body. That’s not why I enjoy following his entertainment career, but it’s definitely a visual bonus. After Channing Crowder made a snarky comment about how men like Aldis Hodge, Idris Elba and Damson Idris are “made in labs” and whined about how all he had growing up was light-skinned men like Shemar Moore, I rolled my eyes and wondered how long this light-skinned-versus-dark-skinned diatribe was going to last.
Luckily, it didn’t last long and they moved on to other topics. But Channing Crowder was back at it again, asking Will Packer does it minimize or pigeonhole his career to be referred to as a “Black director,” “Black filmmaker” or “Black producer” when Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino aren’t referred to as “White.”
I was dumbfounded by him bringing this up. For someone who cannot wait to point out the light-skinned people in the room as though they deserve a trophy, his borderline cynical views on the title “Black” in the entertainment industry is hypocritical. However, Will Packer’s answer to that question made me beam. It was exactly what I wanted Kim Fields to say on the “Brotherly Love” podcast. And it made me that much prouder of being a Will Packer supporter.
Will Packer responded to the “Black director” question by saying this:
“I’m very proud that I make projects that are universal, that have subject matters and themes that people can relate to regardless of your ethnicity or your demographic,” Will Packer responded. “But they are told through a very specific lens. And that means that I have a lane that many people don’t have. … I’m still the kid in third grade saying, ‘Yeah, I’m the only Black kid in the class, and I’m proud of that ‘cause it gives me an advantage over everybody else.’ … It’s not a lot of white filmmakers that have the resume that I have, but I never ever shirk away from the fact that I do occupy a lane that makes me unique.”
-Will Packer on being labeled a “Black filmmaker”
His response was also the kind of response I really wanted to hear from the late comedian Bernie Mac. Black people are constantly having to juggle this question, and I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal to be labeled Black. Then again, I’m in a city that turns an entire river green and fills up el trains all day long on St. Patrick’s Day to proudly celebrate being Irish. I, and apparently Will Packer, have the same Irish pride about Black folks.