[jyl]

I wouldn't call it a huge controversy. I've not heard of the incident, despite being a pretty avid newsreader. A google search turns up a few references but not a lot.

Anyway, white men in blackface paint parodying Negros is going to be a sensitive point here, among black people at least. Due to the history of that form of entertainment. Americans who aren't black and/or don't know the history probably don't care.