Ari Lennox is speaking out addressing the backlash she received after soeaking out about Martin’s attacks on Pam (Tichina Arnold) in the comedy “Martin”.
According to VIBE she said:
“[I will] continue to speak my mind and happily [piss] y’all off in the process. If I had ill intent, I would’ve came on here with a PowerPoint presentation that backs my claims on the types of jokes Martin used on Pam being wildly offensive. That will never be my intent or motive,” she shared on Instagram.
She described some of the jokes as “wild,” but added, “I don’t say any of this with the desire to rewrite history.” The 34-year-old praised the series‘ cast, calling them “legends.”
“I meant no harm to them,” she continued before confessing that she isn’t seeking support on this matter.
“I do not need an army of people defending me or agreeing with me. That has always been a rare occurrence for me, but I feel amazing in knowing that I will validate myself and my feelings before I look to you for yours.”
She acknowledged that others have “been called worse things” by loved ones and enemies, and doesn’t want others’ perception of Martin to be dampened. However for her, she’s “never been a fan of roasting” because of her emotional sensitivity.
Elsewhere in the Live, Ari detailed that she was simply airing out some opinions and was equally offended by some of Bernie Mac’s jokes. Yet, she reiterated some advice from her sister, Gemini, whom shared, “Comedy is there to say what you’re too scared to say. For that, comedians are bold and brave.”
The criticism stemmed from a recent interview where she opened up about frustrations on how Martin dissed Pam.
“The thing that pissed me off about Martin was how much he was goin’ in on Pam and this is coming from a girl who loves a joking a** movie and even when the joking movie is like ‘Damn, that was f**ked up.’ There are some things where I draw the line,” Ari shared.
She continued, “Pam was so f**king beautiful and so fine and I just feel like growing up as a chocolate girl, I don’t even know if I was able to understand the greatness of Pam.”
Back in 2022, Tichina addressed colorism concerns regarding her character. Explaining to Jalen Rose,
“The jokes made by Martin were never meant to be malicious. Our dynamic was rooted in friendship and had nothing to do with race.”
Despite the backlash, the singer confessed that she’ll continue to share her opinions and is excited about her new album, Vacancy, coming this fall.
