Chet Hanks, son of Tom Hanks, was seen in a video speaking in Jamaican Patois accent at the Golden Globe Awards red carpet.
On January 6, the 29-year-old posted an Instagram video from the red carpet that showed him praising his dad before the legendary actor was honoured with the Cecil B DeMille Award at the ceremony. In the clip, Chet spoke Jamaican Patois, an English-based creole language that has West African influences.
It is not known what caused Chet's performance however the awkward moment did not go unnoticed by the viewers, with many social media users questioning why he had used the accent. Was it a cultural appropriation?
"BIG UP FIMI WHOL FAMILY SOON COM AT DI AWARDS NA SEEN ," he captioned the post on Instagram. "CHUNE IN."
Actor cleared the confusion
The actor responded with another Instagram post to clear the confusion about his accent. Sharing a screenshot of an article about his viral video, he expressed his amusement that his faux accent had made to the news. "Average citizens: damn this is scary I can't believe we're on the verge of WW3 let me check the news smh @CNN," Chet wrote on his Instagram post.
Later on January 7, Chet posted a second video where he spoke in Jamaican Patois accent, saying that the internet had "gone mad" over his viral video. "RESPECT TO MI #ISLAND," he captioned the clip, adding a series of Jamaican flag emojis on the post.
Chet attended the Golden Globes on Sunday night along with his entire family to watch his dad be presented with the honorary award. During his acceptance speech, Tom, 63, teared up while giving a special shoutout to his family.
"I'm sorry," Tom apologized while taking a moment to gather himself. "A man is blessed with a family sitting down (the) front like that. A wife who is fantastic in every way, who has taught me what love is. Five kids who are braver and stronger and wiser than their old man is."
