Rickey Smiley Hilariously Calls Out Black Folks For Doing Too Much On Thanksgiving

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The comedian is Rickey Smiley, a man with a magnetic appeal to laughter, dripping with hilarious truths about day’s traditions in the Black community; the country across was clapping in agreement while doubled over with laughter. Going viral is the clip used from his new Hulu stand-up special ‘Rickey Smiley: Foolish.’ He details the very real difference between how white families and Black families observe the holiday–and… I could be wrong, but I think one side may want to take it easy with all that planning.

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The clip shows Smiley bouncing around two fictitious Thanksgivings-one white where it’s just turkey, stove-top stuffing, and pumpkin pie, for members of the family, and one that Black folks basically celebrate for a week-long culinary marathon, cooking enough to feed a small nation. The juxtaposition definitely stands in stark contrast, mostly due to the speed with which Smiley fires off the huge list of foods that somehow end up on Black dining tables.

From any kind of turkey (fried, baked, roasted…something about raw turkey) to just about any flavor of chicken (limo peppa chicken? funky chicken?), to greens (collard, mustard, turnip), and way more desserts than could put a bakery out of business-the delivery of which left me rolling with laughter. Then the comedian threw in some curveballs like ‘nigga jelly beans’ and ‘dog tails,’ just to see if anyone was still paying attention.

Soon the comment sections morphed into full-blown Thanksgiving roasts, taking turns with anecdotes relevant to Smiley’s observations. A user wrote, “All that And still sending people to the store when the food supposed to be done,” thus perfectly describing Black Thanksgiving in the general sense. Responses to the remark rapidly turned into a chorus of approval, mostly sharing late-night ice runs and last-minute ingredients that always seem to pop up just when the food ought to be served.

Another commenter noticed Smiley’s commendable stamina: “True art!!! The ability to keep this flowing, the shape he had to be in just for this segment alone…” Indeed, the bombardment of dishes from the comedian would leave most exhaling in relief, but Smiley went on with ease and hilarity, pointing out that Black Thanksgiving can really get way in-your-face.

Fans were also communicating eye-openers from their personal forays with culturally diverse Thanksgiving observances. “I went to Thanksgiving last year at a Caucasian family house from the Appalachian mountains of Virginia.. I thought the food was gonna be trash..I had a RUDE AWAKENING..That ish was sooo darn good,” recalled a user, with the question triggering a mini-debate on stereotypes and regional culinary traditions proving that good food transcends color.

The timely preparation of the most important dishes in these Thanksgiving feasts was mentioned in the comments too. A few people could only describe how Black people start cooking from dawn till dawn aligning their taste buds with dinner at 8 p.m., if ever. “Dinner was officially eaten at 8,” one user wrote, followed by comments that sometimes it really was never until Black Friday afternoon. Trying to synchronize 47 different dishes all from various aunties and cousins is a nightmare.

Smiley’s bit about the music during each type of Thanksgiving also killed them,” the commenter added. The contrast between the white Thanksgiving simple, folksy soundtrack and the kind of chaotic energy that fuels Black sooking-back family get-togethers was just too perfect. One commenter summed it all up rather well: “The music alone had me cracking up lol.”

The plays to comedic delight are all deliberate overstatements; nevertheless, there are real culturally marked distinctions surrounding the holiday: In fact, Black families tend to have the Thanksgiving put in such a massive production-partially for love of the event, partially out of tradition, and, more importantly because nobody wants to be that one relative who didn’t bring enough food. End Perilized tastes for the overwhelming number of people put into a food coma for days.

From this much-anticipated clip relegated to being one of the funniest byways into the quirky realities of Black life, one can probably now safely say that the stand-up comedian is very good at extracting humor from Black everyday life. Whether you’re team “simple Thanksgiving” or team “cook everything including the kitchen sink,” this bit will have you rolling while quietly starting to outfit next year’s menu. Just hopefully less… 20 is tops. Maybe.

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For more about Rickey Smiley, check out his recent surprise ticket link for a mystery event here. Alternatively, you can also see him lose it over a wild video here.