I know Lamorne Morris, 38, from The New Girl, where he starred as Winston for seven seasons. I wasn’t familiar with him beyond that, but I watched his interview on Kimmel and came away completely charmed and convinced to watch his Hulu show, Woke. Woke is now in its second season. Lamorne stars as cartoonist Keef Knight, who gradually gets “woke” after a run-in with police. So far I’ve only watched the first episode and wonder why I’m only hearing about it now. It’s hilarious, smart and heartwarming with so many funny characters. Lamorne is captivating as the lead and I know I’m going to binge this. I’m going to transcribe some of what he said on Kimmel, but I highly recommend you watch that interview. He does great impressions of Idris Elba and Denzel Washington.
How he explains his show
I just want to appeal to the people out there at home. I know we hear the title ‘woke’ and we get confused, ‘is it about race, is this show about inequality and all that kind of stuff?’ Yeah, do I talk to pens and markers and cartoons? Yes. Is my character crazy? Yes. But at its core this show truly is all about asking the question ‘Do white people wash their legs.’ There’s a lot that divides us as people. That’s a great divide in this country and everyone’s been talking about it.“Do black people wash their legs and white people don’t wash their legs?”
You’re damn right we wash our legs. That I don’t know yet. I haven’t showered with a white person.“I don’t wash my legs every time. My doctor told me ‘don’t wash your legs so much, the skin gets dry.'”
That could be true. Black people sometimes we get ashy. We’ve go to put cocoa butter on our legs.“I do cocoa butter also. DJ Khaled gave me a whole jar of cocoa butter.”
[From Jimmy Kimmel Live on YouTube]
As for whether white people wash their legs, I have to admit that I didn’t really pay much attention to my legs until it became a thing a few years ago, when Taylor Swift admitted she only shaved her legs and didn’t wash them. I still showered! I just wasn’t washing all my limbs carefully like that. I really started washing my legs every time after that. Then, when so many white celebrities came out as anti-bathers I doubled down on bathing and showering. I’m showering twice a day now and I wash and exfoliate. Yes my skin gets drier than it used to but like Kimmel I also use cocoa butter now.
Also, watch Woke! If you have one of those “color doesn’t matter/I don’t see color” white friends, tell them that this show is a can’t miss comedy and maybe they will learn something. I scream laughed a bunch of times and I’ve seen the pilot twice so far.
Winnie the bish!!!!
This comment alone made me holler! I think of all the characters on that show, I’m truly a Winston. My pranks are small and have no impact except the huge impact they have on my own amusement!
Actually all races get ‘ashy’ for black people its just more prominent because of our skin hue.
Truth. My fairly pale white skin gets very dry and ashy. When I have a tan it’s super obvious but I am a major lotion person all the time due to dryness and ashyness. I use it every day over most of my body. I carry handcream in all my bags. I keep it by the bed, by every sink, at my desk. If I’m asked to come up with a things I cannot go without list lotion is definitely on it.
Yep, I’m white and get really ashy legs if I don’t lotion. I do wash my legs every time I shower but sometimes don’t have the time after to lotion and boy, it gets worse with age too.
Can co-sign this. Very pasty white lady with super-ashy legs in the winter most especially. And for the record, I also wash my legs daily. Palmer’s cocoa oil is great for my dry skin and smells delightful.
Can confirm. I used to not wash my legs, just kind of rub them with water, because they are so dry. Even lotioning afterward didn’t help. I’ve started using the store brand cetaphil as my body wash (including legs). Finally, my skin is not sloughing off. I highly recommend it to everybody. The store brand is only $5.
He’s incredibly handsome and this looks great!
White here but I use those Japanese exfoliating towels and the Korea Italy towels and every inch of me gets scrubbed thoroughly. I’ve used lotion since I was 12 after every shower, currently am loving Kiehl’s Creme de Corps but am thinking of switching to a retinol body lotion.
@C: Didn’t know retinol body lotions existed!! Can you name some? Would love to try!!!
Can vouch for the Drunk elephant retinol body lotion. You do need something to moisturize with next to it, but it will smoothen your skin.
@Wilma:
I love Drunk Elephant’s face products but they’re a bit pricey for my whole body.
I used Alpha Skin Care Renewal Body Lotion Anti-Aging Formula for All Skin Types over this past winter before bed each night. Especially on my elbows and knees. I also used Amlactin Foot Repair Cream and wore socks to bed several times a week.
This winter maintenance kept my skin and feet soft and supple and I was able to transition to bare legs and toes at the first hint of warm sunny weather…..without the usual end of winter scrub and rub skin rehab sessions.
During Spring/Summer I drybush with a soft bristle brush before my bedtime shower/bath and just use an inexpensive drugstore lotion.
I’ve seen 3 episodes so far – it’s all over the place, but I really like it. The leg washing thing seems an absurdist riff to me, but it’ll probably become another huge internet kerfuffle about how people bathe.
It already was:
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1129130284690153475?t=PMI1jxufRK0J-6mpc9kEkw&s=19
*sigh* I figured. The stupidity makes me tired.
White here. I wash my legs with each shower, even between my toes. And moisturize like it’s going out of style. I have psoriasis so I gently wash but I have to wash the creams off before I put new ones on.
I finally found my ideal body cream and can shower with hot water and exfoliate properly, but even before that washing my legs was a must.
I … wasn’t aware not washing one’s legs was a thing?
Right? You have a shower or a bath and your legs get wet and covered in shower gel or bubble bath. Even if you don’t specifically scrub them, they’re getting washed. And if you shave your legs, you rinse them off afterwards. So the only way you’re not washing your legs is if you’re not washing the rest of your body either!
That’s the distinction. Are you actively washing / scrubbing your legs or do you think water and soap running down them is enough? Black people don’t consider letting soap run down them to be washing but (many more than I realized) white people find it to be sufficient. You just kinda proved the point, Jane! Lol.
I assumed everyone washed their legs. I didn’t know white people didn’t or black people thought they didn’t.
@Betina – perhaps this is an American thing, and I’m not American, although I am white, but as far as I’m concerned, washing, scrubbing, exfoliating, moisturising etc are all different things. I don’t put them under the umbrella term of ‘washing’. For example, if I say I wash my face, I mean I splash some water on it, maybe with a bit of face wash or soap, then splash more water on it. I don’t mean I do my full beauty routine. The same with my legs!
I was very confused when I saw the twitter commentary about the doctor saying not to wash your legs. I’m white (though I prefer to think of myself as off white) and never heard not to wash my legs- it seems weird not too considering all the stuff you wash off from your upper body/kinda drains down your legs so wouldn’t you want to wash your legs & feet last at least to get the upper body Schmitz off?
Same! Lol
Ok, Lamorne Morris does these commercials for a bank here in Canada (not sure if they air in the states too?) And he made the cheesiest lines so funny that I ended up googling him and found New Girl. He’s hilarious on that show. Anyone know where Woke streams in Canada?
Here’s my favourite of his bank ads:
https://youtu.be/F4mQSDL8zls
I’m Mexican and absolutely scrub my everything. Never put any thought into it. But recently, when I found out so many white people don’t wash their legs, I was genuinely angry -still am – because… y’all calling US dirty?! It’s so classic and yet so infuriating. I’m sure there are loads of brown and black people who scrub thoroughly without (and also with) realizing there is a part of them worried about being seen as unclean.
Sorry to break it to you but this white people don’t wash their legs thing is just a weird joke and isn’t an actual thing.
If you’re going to ignore the actual, and obvious point of hyperbolme’s comment, why even bother? And, not washing legs is a thing. There were a ton of people saying that they don’t, and that they thought shampoo running down their legs was sufficient. Just loud and wrong.
Hyperbolme literally just explained why it is a thing: There are very offensive stereotypes about the cleanliness and “smell” of non-white people (black and brown people tend to get it the worst, but I’ve heard the same about Asian people, too). It’s rage-inducing — I can tell you from experience that after the shock and horror of someone telling you that your entire race smells bad, confusion, rage, and sadness follow, at least it did for me.
Apparently it is a thing. It was brought up on the forum I frequent because of my sewing hobby and many, many women do not wash their legs every time they shower and they are white judging from their profile pics. I didn’t know the question originated from Lamorne Norris, but it shows up every now and then and lots of people will admit to not washing their legs.
@Wilma the question didn’t originate with Lamorne. It was started on Twitter.
I’m sorry people have been calling you and other Mexicans dirty because of your ethnicity. It’s not right. Whether you scrub everything or not.
I’ve been meaning to check this show out, I loved him so much on New Girl, even though I only watched the first couple of seasons. I heard him on a podcast a while back though, and was so-so on him, but he’s a magnetic actor.
Another white woman chiming in – I scrub my legs when I shower. Sometimes I will have a very quick shower in the morning if I am running late for work where I just lather up really quickly and don’t scrub my arms and legs thoroughly and I gotta say, it does not feel as clean. When I get back from work I will have a proper scrub. It just feels good! Also I don’t really feel like it dries my skin, if anything the opposite. I feel like if I don’t scrub / exfoliate then my skin will look drier cause of the dead skin cells that accumulate, right??
I just don’t feel like I belong on Earth. WTF is happening?!
Amazing how Americans have made “white” mean every white person, when every person outside of America will tell you that when Americans say “white” they mean white American.
Yeah, and especially being Eastern European, a lot of the stereotypes and privilages of American white people aren’t necessarily an universal experience.
They’re not even a universal experience in the United States.
not all white americans behave in stereotypical ways, thankfully.
but every single one benefits from white privilege. without even trying, it benefits them. even the ones who actively work to be antiracist. that’s how societal privilege works.
This! I’m tired that people thinking all white people behave like American white idiots. Hey, many Americans also don’t act like idiots. This generalization is annoying…
Thank you for saying this, @Khawla!
I will have to watch this. He was my favorite character on New Girl. So glad he has his own show.
Same! His delivery was everything
The washing your legs thing really came from this show called “You’re the Worst.” That was the first time I heard about this debate. It’s funny how that topic was usurped years later as if someone magically invented the viral question, and I’m like “No. You watched the show, and went on twitter and asked the question.”
THANK YOU!
also, I’m with Gretchen. 😂
So I’m white and my mom is from the Maryland area but I grew up on the west coast. I always liked to wsh my whole body with a Cotton washcloth from when I was a kid. My dad is not from the states but we all use wash cloths But when i started noticing other people’s houses (white and Asian) other people did not use wash cloths in the 90s. If I stay at someone’s house they give me a towel but no wash cloth. Poofs were popular then but I’m not a big fan of poofs. (Doesn’t feel scratchy enough.) When I was a teen we also had Salux cloths (check Amazon) which my relative got us from Japan. Using a poof or just my hands does not feel as clean. Now I use either a wash cloth or a salux or a similar very scratchy thing my bf got from morocco. But since I bathe/shower 2 x a day I don’t necessarily do my legs and arms and feet every time. My ex’s parents are white and Asian they him and his sisters don’t use wash cloths or anything to scrub I do not get it because I feel sooooo good to scrub myself. My bf and I do each other’s backs. Sometimes I also carefully use my nails on my legs. You can also body brush before bathing, I do it but I’m not sure it Helps much. For anyone else who loves to wash and exfoliate their legs I also recommend an épilation machine it’s about $50 and very very satisfying to me. I do understand why black people have been laughing at white people for this, i also find it odd and I’m curious when *some* white people stopped using wash cloths and why??? Because it’s cheap and it feels great. Is it only the long time North Americans that use them and the people that came within 100 years don’t? I lived in France for 2 years and don’t recall seeing a washcloth at my host family’s home. However it didn’t occur to me as there were so many other culture shocks.
I’m French and I think cloths are regarded here as “old fashionned” and there has been a lot of articles in the past 20 years saying they are full of bacteries, germs and so usually we don’t “give” cloths” to people by fear they think we’re dirty.
Anyways, I had cloths at my parents’ house, and when I moved in solo when I was in my 20s I never bought a single cloth. Instead I had some exfoliating flowers which really killed my skin.
Now that I’ve become a mum, I only use cloths!! They’re so convenient when you need to clean your kids’ mouths and hands after eating, I use them when I take my make up off and I use them in the shower to wash my whole boy (legs and feet included 😉 )
My skin is loving them!! And if I really need a good rub, I like my Morrocan kessa glove.
As for the thing washcloth are dirty and full of bacteria, well, I guess it’s true…if you don’t change them after you’ve used them!!
That’s so interesting to read. My partner is French and I just got back from visiting them, I lost my Salux Super Hard cloth at the hotel but spent some time at their parents’ house and they had plenty of washcloths, sadly they just were not a substitute. I was surprised that in the French pharmacies which usually have everything you could want that I couldn’t find an exfoliating towel!
I’m white, have noticed no one, any race, house that I’ve stayed at in recent years has washcloths, including my mother-in-law who normally has like 1,000 duplicates of every type of bath/kitchen/bed item under the sun. I don’t know how people clean themselves? Or expect guests to, without one? I mean yes, you can use your hands and rub soap into a lather on yourself, but if you don’t have a cloth, it doesn’t rinse off well and end up with itchy, flaking skin later. I’ve just started bringing a cloth with me whenever I’m going to stay somewhere.
Washcloth is a must for us filipinos. It used to be in the past a rough stone that people use when bathing to remove dirt. Now we have loofah the natural and plastic ones or exfoliating gloves. Theres one i use that eco friendly i forgot the name but its good… i have dry skin on my body but im used to it. I do need to lotion more…
Ok, I’ve never thought about this. Some people don’t wash their legs? I’m mixed and look white, and I always wash my legs. Always. But I also full-body exfoliate a lot because I have super dry skin. Basically, I wash, then exfoliate. Then I full-body moisturize with hardcore moisturizer post-shower. Exfoliation is how you don’t have dry skin buildup. I’m in the camp that also highly recommends Korean Italy towels! You will be so grossed out by how much dead skin you had on you.
Regardless of leg washing.. this show is awesome!! If you haven’t seen it yet check it out on Hulu.
This Eastern European always does the loofah body wash all over
So he was trying to be amusing and endorse his show and instead just got people talking about washing legs?
Showers are a part of my job and what I was surprised about was the amount of people that wash their butt midway through the shower and then just keep on with the same washcloth.
My mother said her grandmother told her wash as far down as possible and as far up as possible then wash “possible”.
I wash all of my skin. I use gel soap when I shave so my legs get washed that way too. I really didn’t know not washing your legs was a thing.
I loved Lamorne Morris in New Girl and didn’t knew he had a new show ; just watched the pilot and it’s great! Can’t wait to see the rest. Thank you Celebitchy!
Regarding the washing your legs thing… I’m white, I’m French, and no I don’t specifically wash my legs every time I shower. Most of the time I use a very soft shower oil, no harsh soap, and use my hands, not a washcloth. I shudder at the thought of them actually, they’re the grossest thing I can see in a stranger’s bathroom. I sometimes use one for a “cat’s bath” when I have no other choice but then they go directly into the washing machine. I hate hate hate seeing them dry on other people’s faucets. Thankfully almost no one here uses them anymore (adults at least, they’re convenient for wiping away a child’s face).
Personal hygiene is such an interesting topic, sociologically speaking. I’ve read several posts here the last few months and was like “huh.”. Culture, religion, weather, racism, wealth… definitely shape a lot of our aversions.
People don’t/ didn’t wash their legs?
Washcloth every day? Every other day! When i do use them, top first, than the bottom. After? It gets soaked in soda salt, or it goes straight in to the washer. Depends on how ‘dirty’ I feel
I learn something new, every day.
He killed me in new girl I had no idea about this new show! Thanks!