The internet went back through old Raven-Symoné footage after a clip from her podcast with her wife Miranda blew up — specifically an interview with Kalen Allen, who used to be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Kalen said That’s So Raven felt Black as hell to him. Raven’s answer was take the color out. Make them green. Then people started pulling The View. Then Oprah at Harpo. KEMPIRE played the audio fair use, stop-and-go, and cited Maya Wood on Threads for the compilation. Here’s the thing: this is not a new argument from Raven. It is the same “I’m an American” line she has been running for years. Don’t see color, don’t see the person.
I’m Going to Need Miranda to Stay Out of This
Look, Kalen got dragged like he hosted the thing. He went on Threads more than once: it was not my show, I was not the interviewer, I was the guest. Jesus Christ — that’s a quote. The viral beat is him saying That’s So Raven was the first time he had seen a Black family like that, it felt Black as hell, give it to me dog. Raven’s pushback is take away the color. Make them green. Hear the words. I’m going to need Miranda to stay out of this Black conversation. That is not a conversation for her to jump. Shout out to the internet, because they also pulled a That’s So Raven moment where the character deals with being discriminated against for being Black. So that character was definitely Black. I also get it’s a character. Two things can be true: representation hit Kalen as a Black family on Disney, and Raven has been trying to unsay the Blackness of it for a long time. Just saying. Take a listen to the tape before you pile on the guest.
“Saying you don’t see color is the same as saying you don’t see a person.”
I’m an American — and That’s Still the Dodge
This is the interview I thought of immediately. Years ago, still at Harpo in Chicago — that’s how old it is — Raven sat with Oprah and said I’m an American, and that’s a colorless person, because we’re all people, lots of things running through my veins. Oprah flagged it in real time: you’re going to get a lot of flak for saying you’re not African-American. Raven said she doesn’t label herself. What I really mean is I’m an American. I have darker skin. I have a nice interesting grade of hair. And sometimes you wonder, when people say stuff like that, if they are disconnecting from their Blackness to separate themselves, like I’m better because I view myself this way. Here’s the thing. Some people understood exactly what she meant in that room. Time has passed. The line did not get newer. Colorless is the same move as make them green. I’m keeping an open mind on her intention. I don’t 100% believe the intention cancels the effect. Y’all already know how this country treats “I don’t see color” in 2026.
Watermelondrea, Harriet, and a Monkey Joke: That’s The View
Shout out to Maya Wood on Threads, because we cite our sources. She put together the problematic things Raven used to say on The View. One of the worst: can we take back racist and say discriminatory, then I’m not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea. Full context does not change that. Somebody’s name is not a reason not to hire them. They had no control over it. I’d rather hire a Watermelondrea who goes above and beyond than a Susie who is lazy. That’s me. Another clip: some people look like animals — is that rude — in a conversation Maya tied to Rodney F getting fired for saying Michelle Obama looks like a monkey from Planet of the Apes. Then Harriet Tubman on the $20: too long ago, she would have chosen Rosa Parks, someone closer to the progression. Would we have a Rosa Parks moment if there wasn’t a Harriet Tubman? Fast forward to 2026 and Harriet still is not on that bill. There is also a school-deputy video of a girl yanked out of a chair — Raven said that’s ridiculous harm and also get off your phone. She’s been acting since she was about three. Some of that commentary showed it. Just saying.
We Can Have the Conversation Without Jumping Kalen
Kalen posted a few hours later thanking people who checked on him. Difficult moment. He has media training. The version of himself online is shaped by the jobs, the rooms, the reputation. Composure is not fake. It takes work. What he can say publicly is not always what he is feeling privately. In a past life he was known to get folks together real quick, but life is not a reality show, and the most emotionally satisfying response is not always the responsible one. Sometimes maintaining composure is not proof it didn’t hurt. Shout out to Kalen. He was a bystander. The rabbit hole was Raven. Colorism is an offshoot of racism — a way to separate the Black community. We talked about this on RHOBH with Sutton and Crystal Kung Minkoff. Saying you don’t see color is the same as saying you don’t see a person, because being Black is an experience rooted in this country. I get the intention. The equality is not the same. We should be able to have the conversation without bullying Kalen for sitting in a chair. How do y’all feel — is this a podcast fumble, or the same argument she has been making since Oprah? Drop it. We do not moderate adults. Kempire After Dark hits The Green Room 42 on September 25. Here we go.
Disclaimer: This post is based on publicly available information and credited sources. All allegations are unproven
