In an appearance on the KTLA 5 Morning News, actor LeVar Burton on Wednesday called rapper Kanye West’s recent comments about slavery “irresponsible.”
West has drawn criticism this week for recent tweets and an interview with TMZ, where he said:
“When you hear about slavery for 400 years … For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.”
Burton, who hosted the PBS series “Reading Rainbow” and appeared in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” reacted to the rapper’s remarks.
“When Kanye West says slavery is a choice, I’ve got an issue with that,” Burton said. “It’s irresponsible. It is uneducated. It’s just stupid.”
Burton, who also played the main character in the ABC 1977 miniseries about slavery, “Roots,” noted that he was not a psychiatrist. He expressed concern about West’s mental health and “brain chemistry.”
He added:
“Kanye has gone on record and said he doesn’t read books. But you don’t, Kanye, need to put out misinformation like that. There are too many people who listen to you, who take what you say valuable and true.”