Celebrity I Take Responsibility Video

2020Viral video / PSA parody targetdead

Also known as: #ITakeResponsibility · I Take Responsibility PSA

Celebrity I Take Responsibility Video is a June 2020 black-and-white PSA featuring 14 white celebrities pledging to combat racism, immediately mocked as performative activism and compared to Gal Gadot's Imagine video.

The Celebrity "I Take Responsibility" Video was a black-and-white PSA released on June 10, 2020, featuring 14 white celebrities pledging to address their past silence on racism. Launched during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd, the video was almost immediately mocked online as a hollow, performative gesture. The backlash drew direct comparisons to Gal Gadot's widely ridiculed celebrity "Imagine" singalong from earlier that year.

celebrity psa memesslacktivism memescelebrity backlash memesblm protest memes2020 memes

Overview

The "I Take Responsibility" video is a two-minute public service announcement filmed in black and white, featuring a montage of white Hollywood celebrities speaking directly into their cameras about their complicity in racism. Each participant delivers scripted lines about "turning a blind eye" to injustice, repeating the phrase "I take responsibility" as a refrain1. The video was produced by Confluential Content, the production company behind OWN's *Black Love* series, in partnership with the NAACP2.

The PSA arrived during a wave of corporate and celebrity responses to the George Floyd protests. Rather than being praised, it became instant meme fuel. The overly earnest, scripted performances and dramatic black-and-white cinematography made it an easy target for mockery7. Within hours of going viral, it joined Gal Gadot's "Imagine" video in the growing canon of celebrity PSAs that backfired spectacularly2.

On June 10, 2020, the YouTube account Confluential Films uploaded the original two-minute video4. The PSA featured 14 celebrities: Sarah Paulson, Aaron Paul, Debra Messing, Julianne Moore, Kesha, Mark Duplass, Bethany Joy Lenz, Justin Theroux, Kristen Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Stanley Tucci, Piper Perabo, Ilana Glazer, and Aly Raisman1. Each spoke into their phone cameras about how they would no longer stay silent on racism, with the video cutting between their faces in a rapid montage format.

The campaign launched alongside the website ITakeResponsibility.org, which linked to donation pages for memorial funds, the Bail Project, and Reclaim the Block, among other organizations1. The site urged viewers to "make your own video, share it with the world, challenge your friends to do the same"1. By June 11, the celebrities had posted the video across their personal social media pages using the hashtag #ITakeResponsibility2.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (Confluential Films upload), Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
Confluential Content, NAACP
Date
2020

On June 10, 2020, the YouTube account Confluential Films uploaded the original two-minute video. The PSA featured 14 celebrities: Sarah Paulson, Aaron Paul, Debra Messing, Julianne Moore, Kesha, Mark Duplass, Bethany Joy Lenz, Justin Theroux, Kristen Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Stanley Tucci, Piper Perabo, Ilana Glazer, and Aly Raisman. Each spoke into their phone cameras about how they would no longer stay silent on racism, with the video cutting between their faces in a rapid montage format.

The campaign launched alongside the website ITakeResponsibility.org, which linked to donation pages for memorial funds, the Bail Project, and Reclaim the Block, among other organizations. The site urged viewers to "make your own video, share it with the world, challenge your friends to do the same". By June 11, the celebrities had posted the video across their personal social media pages using the hashtag #ITakeResponsibility.

How It Spread

The video went viral not for its intended message but for the ridicule it attracted. On June 11, Twitter user @MarlowNYC shared the video with the caption "regret to inform you the celebs are at it again," pulling in over 2.7 million views, 33,000 likes, and 22,000 retweets within 24 hours.

The mockery spread fast. Twitter user @BrandyLJensen wrote "i love how a few of them went full Actor here," picking up 3,400 likes. Vulture noted the self-seriousness of the production: "You know they're serious because the video is in black and white. You know they're serious because it's a montage". Aaron Paul steepling his fingers and leaning close to the camera became a particular point of amusement.

Critics argued the celebrities should spend money instead of making videos. "Just donate to the Black Lives Matter movement, and save your viral videos. Please," tweeted @mousterpiece. Others pointed out the irony of turning Black suffering into an "ice-bucket-style social media challenge". Ricky Gervais shared the video with the critique "Terrible lack of diversity in this video".

Several major outlets covered the backlash, including Vulture, USA Today, Complex, eBaum's World, and Entertainment Weekly. Complex noted that "while those involved clearly meant well, many people pointed out the overly scripted performances".

On June 11, ITR and the NAACP issued a joint statement defending the campaign, saying it was "created to drive a broad coalition to take action by supporting numerous organizations who fight for oppressed communities".

How to Use This Meme

The "I Take Responsibility" video became a template for mockery rather than a format people replicated sincerely. The typical use involves:

1

Filming yourself in black and white, speaking solemnly into your phone camera

2

Confessing to something absurd or trivial using the "I take responsibility for..." framing

3

Adopting the overwrought, dramatic tone of the original celebrities

Cultural Impact

The video's most significant cultural footprint was the *Dear White People* parody. On June 12, the official Twitter account for the Netflix show posted a spoof featuring white cast members John Patrick Amedori, Wyatt Nash, Caitlin Carver, Erich Lane, and Sheridan Pierce in character. "The white students of Winchester also want to take responsibility. We tried to stop them," the show captioned it.

The parody hit every weak point of the original. Carver's character took responsibility "for being white and pretty and desirable to men of all races." Nash's character apologized "for being hilarious even though people are PC now." Pierce apologized "for having asked to see many managers," referencing the Karen meme. Amedori's character delivered the thesis statement: "I take responsibility for making a documentary that centered myself in a conversation about race".

The backlash fed into a larger 2020 conversation about celebrity activism during the BLM protests. The video was consistently paired with Gal Gadot's "Imagine" singalong from March 2020 as twin examples of celebrities misjudging the room. Some observers noted that while the intent was genuine, the format of having wealthy, famous people confess on camera read as self-centered rather than helpful. As eBaum's World put it with dry sarcasm: "Phew, that was easier than I thought it was going to be. Pack it up, racism is cancelled".

Not everyone was negative. Some users adopted the hashtag sincerely, posting their own videos and pledging to support anti-racist organizations. But the dominant narrative online was ridicule.

Fun Facts

The original YouTube upload on Confluential Films' channel received only about 2,900 views in its first two days. The viral spread happened almost entirely through Twitter reposts.

The campaign website linked to real organizations including the Bail Project and Reclaim the Block, making it one of the rare celebrity PSAs that actually pointed to concrete action items.

Some people specifically called out Aaron Paul's intense, close-up delivery as the most meme-worthy moment in the video.

The video dropped during the same cultural window as the Gal Gadot "Imagine" backlash, making 2020 a rough year for celebrity group PSAs.

The *Dear White People* parody was notable because the show's fourth and final season was delayed due to COVID, making the spoof the only new content from the cast that summer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Celebrity I Take Responsibility Video

2020Viral video / PSA parody targetdead

Also known as: #ITakeResponsibility · I Take Responsibility PSA

Celebrity I Take Responsibility Video is a June 2020 black-and-white PSA featuring 14 white celebrities pledging to combat racism, immediately mocked as performative activism and compared to Gal Gadot's Imagine video.

The Celebrity "I Take Responsibility" Video was a black-and-white PSA released on June 10, 2020, featuring 14 white celebrities pledging to address their past silence on racism. Launched during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd, the video was almost immediately mocked online as a hollow, performative gesture. The backlash drew direct comparisons to Gal Gadot's widely ridiculed celebrity "Imagine" singalong from earlier that year.

celebrity psa memes slacktivism memes celebrity backlash memes blm protest memes 2020 memes

Overview

The "I Take Responsibility" video is a two-minute public service announcement filmed in black and white, featuring a montage of white Hollywood celebrities speaking directly into their cameras about their complicity in racism. Each participant delivers scripted lines about "turning a blind eye" to injustice, repeating the phrase "I take responsibility" as a refrain. The video was produced by Confluential Content, the production company behind OWN's *Black Love* series, in partnership with the NAACP.

The PSA arrived during a wave of corporate and celebrity responses to the George Floyd protests. Rather than being praised, it became instant meme fuel. The overly earnest, scripted performances and dramatic black-and-white cinematography made it an easy target for mockery. Within hours of going viral, it joined Gal Gadot's "Imagine" video in the growing canon of celebrity PSAs that backfired spectacularly.

On June 10, 2020, the YouTube account Confluential Films uploaded the original two-minute video. The PSA featured 14 celebrities: Sarah Paulson, Aaron Paul, Debra Messing, Julianne Moore, Kesha, Mark Duplass, Bethany Joy Lenz, Justin Theroux, Kristen Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Stanley Tucci, Piper Perabo, Ilana Glazer, and Aly Raisman. Each spoke into their phone cameras about how they would no longer stay silent on racism, with the video cutting between their faces in a rapid montage format.

The campaign launched alongside the website ITakeResponsibility.org, which linked to donation pages for memorial funds, the Bail Project, and Reclaim the Block, among other organizations. The site urged viewers to "make your own video, share it with the world, challenge your friends to do the same". By June 11, the celebrities had posted the video across their personal social media pages using the hashtag #ITakeResponsibility.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (Confluential Films upload), Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
Confluential Content, NAACP
Date
2020

On June 10, 2020, the YouTube account Confluential Films uploaded the original two-minute video. The PSA featured 14 celebrities: Sarah Paulson, Aaron Paul, Debra Messing, Julianne Moore, Kesha, Mark Duplass, Bethany Joy Lenz, Justin Theroux, Kristen Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Stanley Tucci, Piper Perabo, Ilana Glazer, and Aly Raisman. Each spoke into their phone cameras about how they would no longer stay silent on racism, with the video cutting between their faces in a rapid montage format.

The campaign launched alongside the website ITakeResponsibility.org, which linked to donation pages for memorial funds, the Bail Project, and Reclaim the Block, among other organizations. The site urged viewers to "make your own video, share it with the world, challenge your friends to do the same". By June 11, the celebrities had posted the video across their personal social media pages using the hashtag #ITakeResponsibility.

How It Spread

The video went viral not for its intended message but for the ridicule it attracted. On June 11, Twitter user @MarlowNYC shared the video with the caption "regret to inform you the celebs are at it again," pulling in over 2.7 million views, 33,000 likes, and 22,000 retweets within 24 hours.

The mockery spread fast. Twitter user @BrandyLJensen wrote "i love how a few of them went full Actor here," picking up 3,400 likes. Vulture noted the self-seriousness of the production: "You know they're serious because the video is in black and white. You know they're serious because it's a montage". Aaron Paul steepling his fingers and leaning close to the camera became a particular point of amusement.

Critics argued the celebrities should spend money instead of making videos. "Just donate to the Black Lives Matter movement, and save your viral videos. Please," tweeted @mousterpiece. Others pointed out the irony of turning Black suffering into an "ice-bucket-style social media challenge". Ricky Gervais shared the video with the critique "Terrible lack of diversity in this video".

Several major outlets covered the backlash, including Vulture, USA Today, Complex, eBaum's World, and Entertainment Weekly. Complex noted that "while those involved clearly meant well, many people pointed out the overly scripted performances".

On June 11, ITR and the NAACP issued a joint statement defending the campaign, saying it was "created to drive a broad coalition to take action by supporting numerous organizations who fight for oppressed communities".

How to Use This Meme

The "I Take Responsibility" video became a template for mockery rather than a format people replicated sincerely. The typical use involves:

1

Filming yourself in black and white, speaking solemnly into your phone camera

2

Confessing to something absurd or trivial using the "I take responsibility for..." framing

3

Adopting the overwrought, dramatic tone of the original celebrities

Cultural Impact

The video's most significant cultural footprint was the *Dear White People* parody. On June 12, the official Twitter account for the Netflix show posted a spoof featuring white cast members John Patrick Amedori, Wyatt Nash, Caitlin Carver, Erich Lane, and Sheridan Pierce in character. "The white students of Winchester also want to take responsibility. We tried to stop them," the show captioned it.

The parody hit every weak point of the original. Carver's character took responsibility "for being white and pretty and desirable to men of all races." Nash's character apologized "for being hilarious even though people are PC now." Pierce apologized "for having asked to see many managers," referencing the Karen meme. Amedori's character delivered the thesis statement: "I take responsibility for making a documentary that centered myself in a conversation about race".

The backlash fed into a larger 2020 conversation about celebrity activism during the BLM protests. The video was consistently paired with Gal Gadot's "Imagine" singalong from March 2020 as twin examples of celebrities misjudging the room. Some observers noted that while the intent was genuine, the format of having wealthy, famous people confess on camera read as self-centered rather than helpful. As eBaum's World put it with dry sarcasm: "Phew, that was easier than I thought it was going to be. Pack it up, racism is cancelled".

Not everyone was negative. Some users adopted the hashtag sincerely, posting their own videos and pledging to support anti-racist organizations. But the dominant narrative online was ridicule.

Fun Facts

The original YouTube upload on Confluential Films' channel received only about 2,900 views in its first two days. The viral spread happened almost entirely through Twitter reposts.

The campaign website linked to real organizations including the Bail Project and Reclaim the Block, making it one of the rare celebrity PSAs that actually pointed to concrete action items.

Some people specifically called out Aaron Paul's intense, close-up delivery as the most meme-worthy moment in the video.

The video dropped during the same cultural window as the Gal Gadot "Imagine" backlash, making 2020 a rough year for celebrity group PSAs.

The *Dear White People* parody was notable because the show's fourth and final season was delayed due to COVID, making the spoof the only new content from the cast that summer.

Frequently Asked Questions