ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler said Thursday that the New York Times obtained a photo of him in blackface at a college Halloween costume party nearly 20 years ago dressed as Michael Jackson. In response, he expressed regret.
The images surfaced as Lawler, a first-term Republican, is embroiled in a re-election battle for a U.S. House seat in New York’s Hudson Valley.
In a statement provided to The Associated Press, Lawler described himself as a lifelong Jackson superfan and wanted to pay tribute to the pop star.
“Eighteen years ago, when I tried to imitate Michael’s legendary dance moves at my college Halloween party, the ugly practice of blackface was the furthest thing from my mind. Let me be clear: That’s not the case,” he said, adding that the costume was intended to be “a true homage to one of my childhood idols.”
“I’m a history student, so I apologize to anyone who was offended by this photo,” Lawlor said. “All you can do is live and learn. Thank you for your blessings along the way.”
The Times reported that the photo was taken in 2006, when Lawler was 20 years old. In an image posted by the newspaper, Lawler can be seen wearing a red jacket and holding Jackson’s signature dance pose with her arms outstretched. He used bronzer to darken his face.
It is well established that the congressman is a Jackson believer.
Last year, The Daily Beast reported on Lawler’s obsession with Jackson. Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, a biography of the pop icon, follows 18-year-old Lawler as he travels to New York to attend Jackson’s criminal trial, where he is charged with child sexual abuse. It tells the story of how he flew from there to California. . His biographer wrote that Lawler was “so disgusted” with some of the testimony that he “couldn’t help muttering derogatory things under his breath” that he was removed from the courtroom.
Lawler said in a statement Thursday that “one of my greatest memories” was attending Jackson’s concert at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Lawler is in a tough race against former Democratic congressman Mondaire Jones, who is black. Lawler took office in 2022 and has been a mainstay of cable news programming ever since.
Blackface minstrelsy took hold in New York City in the 1830s and became popular among whites after the Civil War, but from the beginning it was considered offensive to blacks.
Several politicians and celebrities have been criticized for wearing blackface.
