Fallon apologizes for using blackface in 20-year-old skit

NEW YORK » NBC “Tonight” show host Jimmy Fallon has apologized for doing an impersonation of fellow comic Chris Rock while in blackface during a 2000 episode of “Saturday Night Live.”

Fallon tweeted on Tuesday that “there is no excuse for this.”

Discussion of Fallon’s 20-year-old skit surfaced this week after a video of it was posted online. According to

it was first posted on Twitter by a user named “chefboyohdear,” and showed Fallon, as Rock, appearing on a talk show.

Fallon tweeted that it was a terrible decision to impersonate Rock, also a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member.

“I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable,” the late-night star wrote.

J.K. Rowling publishes first chapters of new story online

LONDON » J.K. Rowling is publishing a new story called “The Ickabog,” which will be free to read online to help entertain children and families stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The “Harry Potter” author said Tuesday she wrote the fairy tale for her children as a bedtime story over a decade ago. Set in an imaginary land, it is a stand-alone story “about truth and the abuse of power” for children from 7 to 9 years old and is unrelated to Rowling’s other books.

Rowling said the draft of the story had stayed in her attic while she focused on writing books for adults. She said her children, now teenagers, were “touchingly enthusiastic” when she recently suggested retrieving the story and publishing it for free.

The first two chapters were posted online Tuesday, with daily instalments to follow until July 10.

Rowling