Jennifer Garner Accused of Being 'Racist' After Old Video Goes Viral

Actress Jennifer Garner has been accused of racism after an old clip of her on a late-night talk show resurfaced.

Garner, 51, appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in February 2003 to promote her action film, Daredevil.

During her appearance, she shared an anecdote about how her co-star, Colin Farrell, got a bit too aggressive in a scene where they were supposed to be kissing and she ended up with a swollen lip the next day.

"There was this moment that the director added where he thought it would be cool if Colin just nibbled on my lip and, I mean there's a lot there to nibble on granted, but every single take, he would go from like a little nibble to...," Garner told O'Brien and started making gnawing sounds to mimic Farrell's actions.

She then joked that by the end of shooting the scene, Farrell was treating her lip like a meal "and pulling it out and putting ketchup on it."

It was in her next comments and that some people took offense.

"The next morning I woke up...and I walk out into the living room when my [now ex] husband Scott [Foley] sitting there [in shock]," Garner explained before adding, "and Colin said my lip looked like one of those African women with a plate in their mouths."

Garner followed the comment by acting as though she still had a swollen lip, rolled her eyes back and made "monkey noises," according to one Twitter user as a way of imitating the women.

Newsweek has reached out to Garner's representatives by email for comment.

The African women Garner was referring to are those of the Mursi tribe who live in Omo Valley, Ethiopia. They are well known for wearing big wooden plates in their lips, which in their culture is a sign of beauty, according to the International Cultural Diversity Organization (ICDO).

The plate is a great source of pride and "powerful visual marker of Mursi identity," which also marks a commitment to a woman's husband because it is worn with great pride when serving him food, the ICDO added on its website.

The interview resurfaced on Twitter, with some taking offense to Garner's comments and actions when it seemed she was imitating the Mursi women in a derogatory way, although others came to her defense.

"I can't see Jennifer Garner the same after this video. I'm sorry but I didn't know she was racist 😭," wrote one person on Twitter.

Another added: "Did Jennifer Garner have to make the monkey noises, too?"

And a third wrote: "Finding out Jennifer Garner was racist was a sad day for me ngl."

Others rejected any accusations of racism.

"Omg y'all are reaching. Some JLO fan accounts share this clip and now let's run with it. Lame. We have real racism to worry about - this ain't it," one wrote.

"Nothing racist about it. At all. She was drawing a comparison to illustrate her situation.
We have enough real racism going on. We don't need to try to reach so far for it.
Side note: Jennifer Garner is one of the most non-problematic celebrities around," another wrote.

Update, 7/6/23, 11:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional reaction.