Nyle DiMarco has taken a shot at Jamie Foxx and Jimmy Fallon after the former pretended to use sign language while appearing on the Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.
DiMarco, who is a model and a deaf activist, is hearing impaired and he felt Foxx was insensitive towards the sentiments of the deaf community. Taking to Twitter, DiMarco questioned how the segment was even allowed to air.
"@iamjamiefoxx, It is straight up disrespectful to make up sign language. Everything is in gibberish," DiMarco wrote. He then added: "Also- @jimmyfallon @FallonTonight how was this allowed? Where's the cultural sensitivity. Not comedy when you make fun of others."
Check out the video below:
.@iamjamiefoxx, It is straight up disrespectful to make up sign language.
Everything is in gibberish. pic.twitter.com/X5AHkusq3o
— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) May 27, 2017
Quite a number of DiMarco's followers agreed that the segment was insensitive and demanded an apology from the actor. But at the same time, there were many who urged the model to take it as a joke.
DiMarco is the winner of Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars and during his time on the show, the 28-year-old used the platform to give the audience a feel of how it was to live as a hearing impaired person.
In an interview with People in 2016, DiMarco revealed he has never wanted to hear, as "that's never existed in my life. I'm happy!"
"Growing up, I was always involved in the Deaf community. If I'd been born into a hearing family and went to a public school, I would have probably felt much more isolated, and being deaf would have become my identity," DiMarco said, adding "Since I knew my deaf identity since birth, it wasn't hard for me to be comfortable, confident and independent in a hearing world."
