I’m sure you’ve seen a newscast, a photo gallery, or something online where one celebrity was mistaken for another. People do it all the time! How many times have you looked at a photo of “New Girl” star, Zooey Deschanel and thought you were seeing Katy Perry? Sometimes it’s understandable confusion. But with a lot of black celebrities, the mistakes can be head-scratch worthy. From women being mistaken for men and people of two totally different complexions and sizes being mistaken for the same person, sometimes this ish gets out of hand. For example…
Sheree Whitfield and Sahara Davenport
Aw Lawd, did you hear about this mess? Sadly, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant and drag queen, Sahara Davenport, passed away this week from heart failure. When news dropped of Davenport’s passing, fans of the show, and those affiliated with it were devastated. But TV Guide on the other hand, well, they were just confused. When they reported of her death on tvguide.com, they used a photo of former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star, Sheree Whitfield. Yes, they confused Whitfield for a man. A pretty man, but a man nonetheless. Whitfield sent her condolences for the loss, but politely asked TV Guide to get their ish together and take her photo off the website. Coincidentally though, Andy Cohen claims Davenport modeled her look after Sheree, but still, you wouldn’t confuse these two…would you?
Michael Clarke Duncan and Seal
When an NBC affiliate reported on the death of Michael Clarke Duncan, they had at least that information correct. Too bad that when they put a picture up of him, they replaced Michael with a smiling Seal–the singer. They also showed footage of Seal with Heidi Klum. News of the fail was reported and it was met with a bevvy of head shakes. Seriously though? Had the people who put that package together never actually seen Michael Clarke Duncan before? Let’s hope this was a mistake by a new intern, but either way, it was a hot a** mess.
Sherri Shepherd, Octavia Spencer and Yvette Nicole Brown
When taking part on the show, “Watch What Happens: Live” a caller phoned in for the opportunity to ask Yvette Nicole Brown, star of the show, “Community,” a question about her film work. The inquiry went a little something like this: “My question is for Yvette. …What was it like working on the movie ‘The Help’?” Of course, they had Brown confused with Octavia Spencer, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the movie. Luckily, Brown took the confusion in stride saying, “You know, it was great to watch ‘The Help,’ because I wasn’t in it.” A big laugh, “The View” co-host, Sherri Shepherd, was also a guest on the show, and the two women joked about being confused for each other all the time. Probably because they’re all heavier set black women, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they bear any bit of a resemblance to one another whatsoever…
Chris Rock and Chris Tucker
While digging around for celebrities who people often mistake for one another, I was pretty appalled by the fact that in a poll of celebrities who look exactly like one another, the names of Chris Rock and Chris Tucker were side by side. When was the last time people looked at Chris Rock and Chris Tucker and thought they were separated at birth? Aside from maybe a similar smile and affinity for facial hair, these two men do not share similar features and they are two totally different sizes nowadays. Nice try, but that’s a fail.
Samuel Jackson and Laurence Fishburne
As insane as the thought that Samuel Jackson and Laurence Fishburne look alike might be, many folks seem to confuse these two for one another. So much so, that Samuel Jackson jokes about it to this day:
“People shout at me “Hey, loved that The Matrix, man!” Yeah – me too. I was actually on a plane last year and this guy sat down next to me. Finally he said something to me, and we started talking about Pulp Fiction. He couldn’t remember the actor’s name, so I tried to help and said “I think it might have been Samuel Jackson.” He jumped in “No, no, it’s the other guy, that Fishburne guy”. We rode the whole flight having that conversation and then, right at the end, he looked hard at me and said, “You sure look familiar, you’re sure you’re not Laurence Fishburne?” I said “No, and I definitely am not in Pulp Fiction either’.”
Hmmm, blame it on the gap, maybe? Either way, I don’t see it (especially since Fishburne is much shorter than Samuel Jackson, and Samuel Jackson is…well, Samuel Jackson).
Don Cheadle and Tim Meadows
Don Cheadle gets mistaken for a lot of things and people these days. Not too long ago, an attendant on a flight he was on thought he was a strange black man trying to sneak into first class, but aside from that, he’s also been mistaken for Tim Meadows. You know Tim, he’s the guy who played Leon Phelps on “Saturday Night Live” and in the movie, Ladies Man. The rude flight attendant also mistook Cheadle for Tim Meadows and according to people online, yes, they look alike. I totally see it in the…or the…or how about in the…naw, I don’t see it at all. But I could be wrong. Do these people look similar to you?
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