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Stacey Dash's Oscars Appearance Confuses Audience

Stacey Dash's Oscars appearance confused audiences of the 88th Academy Awards, given her earlier criticisms of awards for black actors.
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And the award for the most confusing joke at the Oscars goes to...

Chris Rock may have delivered a scorching monologue that tackled Hollywood’s diversity issue head-on Sunday night, but one joke later in the show left America scratching its collective head.

Image: Stacey Dash at the Academy Awards
Actress Stacey Dash during her appearance Sunday at the Academy Awards.Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Rock introduced "Clueless" actress Stacey Dash, who is also a Fox News commentator, as the “new director” of the Academy’s “minority outreach program.”

“I cannot wait to help my people out," Dash announced to a baffled audience. "Happy Black History Month!”

If you were puzzled, you weren't the only one. The line was a bit of satire playing off her widely commented-upon call earlier this year for an end to Black History Month.

The reaction, both in the live audience — where singer The Weeknd was shown on camera looking stunned — and on social media, was one of confusion.

Shonda Rhimes, the influential producer of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" tweeted that Dash's bizarre appearance ruined her excellent dress choice.

Dash published a blog post not long after her Oscars appearance, saying: "When they added ME to increase the diversity, I'm sure many black people rolled their eyes. I'm not 'black enough,' they say. But guess what? I've heard that all my life. I would rather be a free thinking, black than a cookie cutter black who thinks — and votes — just like all my friends."

It wasn't the only joke hit with a thud. Rock invoked a stereotype about Asians being good at math, with a punchline about child labor that was described as "appalling."

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