# Celebrities you had assumed were of a different race. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 27, 2010, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931 "2010-05-27T11:26:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/81 "2010-05-28T21:03:58Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > When I first heard their songs, I thought that Sophie B. Hawkins and G. Love were black, and Ben Harper and Jack Johnson were white. Jack Johnson is white. > **[Jack Johnson (musician)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Johnson_(musician))** > > Jack Hody Johnson (born May 18, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. He plays a variety of styles including pop, rock, acoustic, folk and surf rock. > Johnson's musicianship has earned him multiple spots on the Billboard 200 chart, reaching number one on the chart with his albums Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George in 2006, Sleep Through the Static in 2008, To the Sea in 2010 and From Here to Now to You in 2013. His album In Between Dreams peaked at number two on the chart ... ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/82 "2010-05-28T21:26:12Z")
London mayor Boris Johnson is famous for his wild shock of bright blond hair, but “On his father’s side Johnson is a great-grandson of Ali Kemal Bey, a liberal Turkish journalist and the interior minister in the government of Damat Ferid Pasha, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, who was murdered during the Turkish War of Independence” (from Wikipedia). Chef Jamie Oliver says his family just found out about the Sudanese in the background. He seems a little sure on the exact nature of it. Of course, these are just interesting; they don’t mean that the people aren’t essentially “white”, I mean look at them, especially Boris. If anyone actually cares what label we put on them in the first place. Personally, I always skip the ethnicity questions on forms because I figure it shouldn’t matter in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/83 "2010-05-28T21:46:33Z")
Until very recently I assumed [Fatboy Slim](http://www.auditoire.ch/IMG/jpg/Fatboy_Slim_in_2004.jpg) was black. ---
**Author:** ![HepToTheJive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@HepToTheJive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HepToTheJive)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/84 "2010-05-28T22:54:30Z")
I was listening to Wilco the other day with my mom (Theologians), she though Jeff Tweedy was black. That sent me for a loop. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/85 "2010-05-28T23:02:07Z")
Like a lot of people, when Catherine Zeta-Jones first became famous I assumed she was at least part Spanish/Latin American. I probably wouldn’t have made this assumption if her breakthrough role had been something other than _The Mask of Zorro_, opposite actual Spaniard Antonio Banderas, but it was and I did. She is actually Welsh. A good friend of mine was shocked when I told her just a few months ago that Zeta-Jones is not even a little bit Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/86 "2010-05-28T23:32:42Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Jack Johnson is white. > > [Jack Johnson (musician) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Johnson_(musician)) Does he consider himself white? I know some native Hawaiians who do not. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/87 "2010-05-28T23:39:23Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Back when “Holding Back the Tears” was a hit, I not only assume the lead singer of Simply Red was Black, but I also assume he was female. Ditto, and a more obscure reference: Matthew Ward. Back in the day, he did a duet with Donna Summer --citation needed\*-- and a roommate heard it on our radio and said “Oh, yeaaah, who’s the big bruthah beltin’ it out?” So I pulled out an old 2nd Chapter of Acts vinyl album (Hey, what can I say? Flawless 3-part harmony, and less suckage than most early Christain music). You couldn’t find a skinnier, whiter-looking boy anywhere. - “Love Has a Mind of Its Own” from _She Works Hard For The Money._ ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/88 "2010-05-28T23:41:41Z")
I’m stunned at all the people that thought Mariah Carey was white, shocked to find out she’s half black. I always thought she was black and while not really shocked to find out she’s half white (she is light skinnded), I certainly wouldn’t have thought it a given that she’s part white. My sister thought the Righteous Brothers were black, the Righteous BROTHERS. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/89 "2010-05-28T23:48:03Z")
There’s a hiphop group from Seattle called Optimus Rhyme. Surprised the hell out of me that they are all white. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/90 "2010-05-29T01:45:48Z")
When I was a teenager and watching some old B & W movie on TV ( no cable) I was shocked to find that Lena Horne was black. But what really threw me for a loop was a local broadcaster in DTW, [Amyre Makeupson](http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=1061&category=mediaMakers) is black. I had grown up watching her and when I found out I was gobsmacked. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/91 "2010-05-29T02:38:58Z")
I thought Pepe Le Peu was from New Orleans. Tattoo from Fantasy Island is actually French-Filipino. I thought he was a Mexican with a speech impediment. Higgins from Magnum PI is actually from Texas, and worked with a speech therapist to get rid of his Texas accent. I thought he was British. I thought Lady Gaga was a dude, like Boy George. Early photos I saw of her had the adam’s apple covered. When I was young I thought Spock was played by an Asian actor. I also thought David Carradine was Asian. The absolute biggest shock though was learning Charles Bronson was actually Mexican. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/92 "2010-05-29T02:46:37Z")
When I first heard “Tik Tok” and saw her name, I assumed Kesha was black. I also used to think Michael Jackson was black. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/93 "2010-05-29T02:48:34Z")
For me it’s pianist Benny Green. I suppose it’s a stereotype to think that a white guy can’t sound like Red Garland, but then that’s why Red Rodney had to pretend he was an albino. Also, to those Hockey fans out there, I thought that former Ranger Sandy McCarthy was white for quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/94 "2010-05-29T02:50:46Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > The absolute biggest shock though was learning Charles Bronson was actually Mexican. :dubious: Is there another Charles Bronson? [Charles Bronson - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bronson) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/95 "2010-05-29T03:21:16Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > I was still watching Saturday Night Live occasionally when Maya Rudolph was still on. > > Not only did I not know she was mixed race ('though I did wonder why she always played the “ethnic” characters), I didn’t know until recently her mother was Minnie Riperton. I was confused to. To me see looked white on SNL. Her skin tone looks different now for some reason. Maybe it was the lighting or makeup they use on SNL. When I have seen her recently I can see it. > [@Superhal](#): > > The absolute biggest shock though was learning Charles Bronson was actually Mexican. Charles Buchinsky? What part of Mexico is Lithuania in? ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/96 "2010-05-29T03:47:36Z")
hmm, I wonder why I thought that. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/97 "2010-05-29T04:00:42Z")
Bart Simpson is actually [a chick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Cartwright). ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/98 "2010-05-29T04:02:16Z")
I thought Michael Jackson was white. Seriously, I was a kid when I first heard ZZ Top’s LaGrange on the radio, and thought they were black. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/99 "2010-05-29T10:22:37Z")
The day my kids found out that Michael Jackson was actually a black dude was quite humorous. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931/100 "2010-05-29T10:28:19Z")
Until I saw a picture of her, I always assumed that blues singer Rory Block was black. > **[Rory Block | Acoustic Slide Guitar](https://www.roryblock.com/)** > > Rory Block | 7 Time Blues Award Winner She’s paler than I am. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-had-assumed-were-of-a-different-race/540931.md?page=6)