‘Holy Hell’: MSNBC Hosts Slam Chris Wallace Over Nikole Hannah-Jones Exchange on Racism and ‘Greatest Generation’
MSNBC hosts Joy Reid, Tiffany Cross, and Lawrence O’Donnell were among a raft of the network’s talent who joined a Twitter dogpile on CNN+ host Chris Wallace over his exchange about racism with Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Ms. Hannah-Jones and Mr. Wallace held what both described as an enjoyable interview during the latest episode of the CNN+ series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, engaging in an unsparing conversation about Hannah-Jones’ essay and book on the 1619 Project, and other topics.
One segment, in particular, got heated when Wallace objected to Hannah-Jones’ assessment of the “Greatest Generation,” and at the end of a contentious exchange, Wallace said “That was good.”
“Let me just say, I’m enjoying this, or else, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Hannah-Jones told Wallace.
“Good. I am. I am too. This is just what this is here for,” Wallace said.
But a blizzard of left-leaning media figures and other blue-checks were not so generous when a clip from the show went viral. They included Ms. Reid, Ms. Cross, Mr. O’Donnell, MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson, frequent guest Elie Mystal, and a host of other verified users that included luminaries like renowned civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill — most of whom disagreed with Mr. Wallace.
The patience of @nhannahjones
The brilliance of @nhannahjones
The beauty of @nhannahjones
The intellect of @nhannahjones
The ridiculousness of his arguments. 🤦🏽♀️Whew sisters. Persevere. https://t.co/tvIIx6DVAQ
— @tiffanydcross (@TiffanyDCross) April 8, 2022
How old does Chris think the men lynching Black folks or burning down communities, including in the wholesome midwest, rust belt and lots of places in and out of the south were?? How old does he think the lunch counter workers, including veterans, who wouldn’t serve Blacks were? https://t.co/hVGJJxgiMJ
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) April 8, 2022
It’s amazing how bothered folks get when you just tell them you remember stuff that has literally happened to black folks in this country.
Chris is out here talking about world wars while @nhannahjones is basically like HAVE YOU BEEN TO INDIANA?? https://t.co/BNk74g4UAx— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) April 8, 2022
Shorter version : No, no, no those were the OTHER white people. The ones yelling and spitting on black kids in black & white photos. We don’t know what happened to them because the rest of the Greatest Generation of white people were all at the March on Washington 👀 https://t.co/O6Sj9R5n3Y
— Dr. Jason Johnson (@DrJasonJohnson) April 8, 2022
Chris Wallace actually thinks there were no ‘Greatest Generation’ cops trying to beat John Lewis to death in Selma 20 yrs after WW2. He is old enough to have watched the TV news coverage of those beatings. Yes it was possible to be brave in war & cowardly bully on civil rights. https://t.co/AXhjnAMmdC
— Lawrence O’Donnell (@Lawrence) April 8, 2022
Wallace seems genuinely flabbergasted, but therein lies the problem. @nhannahjones is absolutely right. Yet not only is this too much for a some folks like Wallace to accept, but in his own education he either never came across these facts – or if he did, was able to ignore them. https://t.co/KnQxyOSyZ5
— Adam Jentleson 🎈 (@AJentleson) April 8, 2022
Meanwhile pic.twitter.com/lR2PewI2Zm
— Ebony Jade Hilton, MD (@EbonyJHilton_MD) April 8, 2022
This apparently is a hard truth that so many whites struggle to accept. But I I was driven to write abt lynching to address precisely this truth: that this racial terrorism was so often perpetrated,cheered & watched by ordinary white men & women of all ages in both north & south. https://t.co/e9q2GVZAVQ
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) April 8, 2022
— Juwan the Writer/April’s Tool (he/him) (@juwanthewriter) April 8, 2022
It takes a lot of fucking nerve to look at young smiling faces in lynching postcards & claim they aren’t responsible for oppression just because they did the killing & celebrated it. https://t.co/Et1Pyke8jv
— Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) April 8, 2022
WTF is Chris Wallace talking about? This fool literally said the 20 and 30-year-olds of “The Greatest Generation” weren’t racist? This is what y’all call top programming at @CNNplus? GTFOH. @nhannahjones should have bust out laughing at clueless ass Chris. https://t.co/bRfoCDQiEl
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) April 8, 2022
J.W. Milam, one of Emmett Till’s murderers , was a decorated WWII veteran,Chris: https://t.co/s6OV8pMplI .
The piece notes he took pride in his ability to “handle Blacks.”
He was young. He was a part of the Greatest Generation.
So there’s that to go along w @nhannahjones point. https://t.co/lrJYv8hdpK— Nicole Carr (@NicoleFCarr) April 8, 2022
Read. Him. https://t.co/AlkmyMmUWn
— Ebony Jade Hilton, MD (@EbonyJHilton_MD) April 8, 2022
She handled that so much better than I would’ve. Holy hell. https://t.co/TLQ6mIybOA
— Elon James White (@elonjames) April 8, 2022
Imagine thinking there were no Black soldiers storming beaches in Normandy. 🤷🏾♀️ https://t.co/1SXX3jJwil
— Jamila Robinson (@JamilaRobinson) April 8, 2022
This is a fascinating exchange that has absolutely nothing to do with historical fact and everything to do with identity.
In that moment he shifted from a journalist “asking the hard questions” to a man passionately defending his identity. https://t.co/kqy6EAUDWu
— Maurice Moe Mitchell 🐺 (@MauriceWFP) April 8, 2022
🎯
— David Alan Grier (@davidalangrier) April 8, 2022
chris got ate up lol https://t.co/rRmsfoRwFW
— Patrick Lucas Austin (@patbits) April 7, 2022
Enjoy your new workplace, Chris! https://t.co/9RI60KoxRk
— Chris Krok (@chriskrokshow) April 8, 2022
Watch the segment above via CNN+.
