ShxtsnGigs podcasters sorry over response to 'racist joke' about Black women

The hosts of the ShxtsnGigs podcast have apologised after laughing at what they called a "racist joke" during an appearance on a rival show in the US.

British pair James Duncan and Fuhad Dawodu, who won a MOBO award earlier this year, were appearing on US comedian Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant podcast as part of their six-week North American tour.

An episode initially posted to the Flagrant podcast's official YouTube channel on 17 July resurfaced over the weekend after comments involving Schulz, co-presenter Akaash Singh and the British pair went viral on social media after prompting a backlash.

In the almost two-hour episode, the four men discuss various topics, including being British, race, and women.

The backlash was prompted as the conversation turned to the “Black girlfriend effect”, which Duncan describes as the physical changes a non-Black man goes through after getting a Black girlfriend.

Schulz then says: “They shave their hair because they start losing it because they’re so stressed being around this Black girl complaining about s*** all the time. That’s why they’ve gotta shave their hair.”

The comment is met with laughter before Duncan disagrees and replies: “Nah bro, white guys with Black girlfriends they step their **** up.”

Schulz then talks over Duncan's next few words, saying: “They grow a beard because there’s more cushion they get slap the f*** out off.” At this point, they all laugh and Duncan is heard saying off-camera: “That’s hilarious.”

Schulz then asks the pair if they have dated both white and Black women, to which they reply yes. Schulz responds: “What’s your favourite?”

Schulz and Akaash respond with more loud laughter and Dawodu replies: “We love them all.” Akaash shoots back: “That means white”, prompting further laughter from the hosts and guests.

Duncan and Dawodu addressed the issue in the latest episode of their podcast, which was released on Tuesday, saying their reaction was a “fight or flight” response to the US hosts of the podcast. “We f***** it, and we're sorry,” Duncan says.

He adds: “There were a few jokes made that were incredibly inappropriate, one specifically pertaining to Black women and in the clip, Andrew was making a joke. I'm not even going to get into specifics, making a frankly racist joke, and we were laughing at it.”

The pair go on to say there was no excuse for how the episode played out and that it was harder for them at the time than it looked to viewers, as they were in “fight or flight” mode.

Duncan says: “But when you're in there, you're in shock, and all you want to do is move on.”

“So it ended up being something that really, really hurt people that look to us for support and look to feel protected, and protected.”

Dawudo ends the apology by saying: “You guys are literally all we have. You guys have taken us to this level and we don't want to let you guys down going forward and anymore.”

Duncan and Dawodu, both 33 from Luton and Lambeth respectively, are award-winning podcasters who have racked up 8.3 million followers and more than 400 million views on TikTok. They sold out the O2 arena for their first tour in May this year.

The video has come as a surprise to many of those who have followed the pair as they are known for their wholesome "bromance".

Their fanbase is thought to be predominantly Black and female, and the podcasters have reportedly lost thousands of followers amid the backlash. According to Social Blade, the ShxtsnGigs Instagram account started has lost 3,343 followers since Sunday.

Andrew Schulz is a comedian from New York and previously appeared on MTV's Guy Code, which ran for five seasons. The Flagrant podcast describes itself on Spotify as “a comedy podcast that delivers unfiltered, unapologetic, and unruly hot takes directly to your dome piece. In an era dictated by political correctness, hosts Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh, along with AlexxMedia and Mark Gagnon, could care less about sensitivities."

The “Flagrant” podcast has yet to comment on the increased scrutiny regarding the exchange of comments.

Yahoo News has reached out to representatives for the ShxtsnGigs podcast and to Schulz and Akaash for comment.