“Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills” star Kathy Hilton is blaming her poor vision for confusing Lizzo for “Precious” titular character Gabourey Sidibe.
During her appearance on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen,” Hilton participated in a round of
“Will Kathy Know Them?” a game where she was shown a series of celebrities and asked to identify them.
However, awkwardness ensued when the actress was faced with a picture of the singer, Lizzo. There, she mistook the Yitty shapewear founder for the academy award nominated actress, Sidibe. Unfortunately, she got caught up in a backlash of comments following her error.
Read on for more details.
Kathy Hilton Said ‘Her Nickname Is Precious To Me’
Hilton got backlash after her appearance on the “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” on Wednesday.
According to Page Six, The “Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills” star was invited by Cohen to play a game of “Will Kathy Know Them?” where she was shown a series of celebrities and asked to identify them.
All went well until Lizzo’s picture appeared on the screen. She pondered for a moment until she guessed, “Precious?”
The answer prompted Cohen and her co-star Crystal Kung Minkoff, who was also a guest on the show, to burst into laughter.
To remedy the situation, Minkoff turned to her co-star to say, “She is precious, though. Lizzo is precious,” to which Hilton chipped in, “that’s what I call her. Her nickname is Precious, to me.” The reality star was referring to Sidibe, who played the titular character in the 2009 award-winning movie “Precious.”
Kathy Hilton Got Called Out On Twitter
Social media users quickly pointed out her blunder, as many were mostly appalled by her confusion over two black women.
While some users tagged her mistake as racist and fatphobic, others called it madly disrespectful and offensive.
“If Kathy Hilton thought Lizzo was Precious (a fictional character from a movie which was adapted from a book by the same name), then she’s either: 1. A liar. 2. A lying idiot 3. Racist. 4. A lying, racist, idiot,” one Twitter user fumed.
A pissed-off Lizzo fan wrote, “Kathy Hilton could have just said “I don’t know” but instead she called Lizzo “Precious.” It doesn’t matter if she didn’t know who she was nor if her intention was ‘harmless,’ calling a plus-size Black woman ‘Precious’ is an insult. She still decided to comment on her weight.”
Another person chipped in, “This was so problematic and not funny at all. Also, Lizzo is more famous than anyone in the Hilton family. Whatever, Kathy.”
However, other fans of the actress tried to defend her, stating that her gaffe was a “simple mistake.”
Kathy Hilton Attributed Her Error To Her Poor Eyesight
As the backlash grew, the socialite took to social media to explain that she couldn’t see the screen, adding that her vision was terrible. “If you recall, I couldn’t even make out who Justin Timberlake or Melissa Etheridge was.”
After acknowledging her mistake, people quickly gave her the benefit of the doubt. “Let her live, for goodness sake! She thought Garcelle [Beauvais] was her own sister,” an Instagram fan commented.
Others, on the other hand, were not buying her excuse.
“Ok, glasses and laser eye surgery are well within your budget Kathy. This ‘my eyes are bad’ excuse is getting old,” commented one user.
“Lol, not knowing who somebody is or not recognizing them is one thing. Calling them precious is just a blatantly racist microaggression,” wrote another.
Lizzo did not seem too bothered by Hilton’s gaffe, as she recently posted her pictures on Twitter with the cheeky caption, “Meanwhile.”
This Is Not The First Time She’s Had Visual Issues
This is not the first time the reality star has been assailed with visual issues. There’s been a hilarious incident on the “Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills” where she mistook Garcelle Beauvais for her sister Kyle Richards.
According to People, she went to say a quick greeting to the “Spiderman: Homecoming” actress but somehow thought it was her sister.
While on the “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” show, Hilton could also not identify Timberlake, Etheridge, or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Hilton is a reality star on the “Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills,” which airs every Wednesday at 8 pm on Bravo. “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” on the other hand, follows the network’s nightly primetime scheduling.