Raven-Symoné clears air about previous comments: ‘We need to talk’

Raven-Symoné is willing to give clarifications about her previous comments regarding not being African-American. The actress said that her comment was misunderstood.

The Cosby show alum, 38, on Tuesday during the new podcast episode of Raven and Miranda offer some lesser known facts about her comment.

The episode that was titled “we need to talk…,” the actress addressed a throwback controversial comment that resurfaced from the Oprah Winfrey’s 2014 show where she “felt like the entire internet exploded and threw my name in the garbage.”

The That’s So Raven star elucidated decided to revisit the subject regarding Idris Elba’s prior statement that people “are obsessed with race” was brought up in a Real Time With Bill Maher piece.

Shortly thereafter, the TV host quoted herself from her conversation with the seventy-year-old Winfrey.

With her back to the camera, the Disney Channel star admitted that the problem, which dates back ten years, “has haunted me since 2014.”

She remarked, “He is commenting on something I said to Oprah back in 2014,” just before to the controversial interview being cut into Tuesday’s show.

“So you don’t want to be labeled gay?” Winfrey asked at the time.

Shaking her head, Raven-Symoné sternly replied, “I don’t want to be labeled gay.”

She continued, “I want to be labeled a human who loves humans. I’m tired of being labeled — I’m an American, I’m not an African American. I’m an American.”

“Oh girl, don’t set off Twitter,” the media mogul replied, seemingly taken aback by her guest’s response.

The clip ended and the Tea Time podcast resumed.

“Now, when that aired, I felt like the entire internet exploded and threw my name in the garbage. There was so much backlash from my community and others that misunderstood slash didn’t hear the exact words that I said,” Raven-Symoné explained.

“And the exact words that I said is that, ‘I’m an American, not an African American.’”

According to the Cheetah Girls actress, “A lot of people thought I said that I wasn’t Black. And I never said that.”

“When I say that African American does not align with me — that label – It doesn’t mean that I’m negating my Blackness or I’m not Black,” Raven-Symoné said. “It means I am from this country. I was born here. My mom, my dad, my great-great-great-great-great — that’s what I’m saying. The pure logistics of it.”