{"id":13411,"date":"2026-07-22T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T04:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13411"},"modified":"2026-07-22T09:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T04:00:21","slug":"colman-domingo-hosts-kimmel-mocks-melania-trump-odyssey-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13411","title":{"rendered":"Colman Domingo hosts &#8216;Kimmel,&#8217; mocks Melania Trump, &#8216;Odyssey&#8217; backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>Updated July 21, 2026, 11:41 a.m. ET<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__bv\"\/>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__bvd gnt_x__h\"\/>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - How Christopher Nolan helped Matt Damon feel at ease on 'The Odyssey'\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/entertainment\/celebrities\/colman-domingo\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Colman Domingo<\/a> has some thoughts on some &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/movies\/2026\/07\/19\/the-odyssey-box-office-opening-weekend-record\/90926736007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">The Odyssey<\/a>&#8221; detractors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Domingo, the latest <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2026\/06\/22\/jimmy-kimmel-break-guest-host-list\/90641590007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">guest host<\/a> of &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2026\/07\/10\/tiffany-haddish-jimmy-kimmel-monologue-white-house-trump-feud\/90873594007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/a>&#8221; amid the late-night host&#8217;s summer break, reacted to <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/film\/news\/odyssey-lupita-nyongo-racist-casting-backlash-1236756272\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">backlash<\/a> over Lupita Nyong&#8217;o playing Helen of Troy in the film.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/movies\/2026\/07\/13\/michael-movie-box-office-record-milestone-billion\/90899790007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Michael<\/a>&#8221; star played a clip of podcaster and One America News Network producer Chris Cella, who said, &#8220;Casting a Black woman as Helen of Troy is like casting a Black man to play Abraham Lincoln or a White dude to play MLK.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;Well, not exactly,&#8221; Domingo responded. &#8220;Because MLK was real, and Helen of Troy is as real as Harry Potter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The actor continued, &#8220;But I&#8217;ll be honest, I agree with that strange little dude. Helen of Troy shouldn&#8217;t have been played by a Black woman. She should have been played by a Black man, specifically me,&#8221; Domingo said to cheers. &#8220;Daddy wants his Oscar!&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp\">Need a news break? <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":body nav (play)|e|auto spike click:6|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp_a\" href=\"https:\/\/play.usatoday.com\/?itm_source=SPIKE&amp;itm_campaign=PLAYSPIKE&amp;itm_medium=ONSITE\">Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/aside>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_vp gnt_em_vp__yt\" data-g-r=\"vp_tp\" data-c-vt=\"youtube\" aria-live=\"polite\" data-c-vpd=\"{&quot;vid&quot;:&quot;7ANeZ3JQVGw&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;90992546007&quot;}\"><a class=\"gnt_em_vp_a gnt_em_vp__yt_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7ANeZ3JQVGw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-g-r=\"vp_tg\" aria-label=\"Play YouTube video\" data-v-t=\"Trump Gets Booed at World Cup, Right Wing Outrage at The Odyssey &amp; Colman Domingo Styles Guillermo\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"gnt_em_vp_img gnt_em_vp_img__yn\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/7ANeZ3JQVGw\/maxresdefault.jpg\" onload=\"if(this.naturalWidth&lt;200){this.setAttribute('onload','this.classList.remove(\\'gnt_em_vp_img__yn\\')');this.src=\" https:=\"\" decoding=\"async\"\/><svg class=\"gnt_em_vp_svg\"><use xlink:href=\"#gnt_svg_video_play\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Domingo, 56, then gave naysayers another viewing option instead of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/movies\/2026\/07\/17\/christopher-nolan-movies-ranked\/90909794007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Christopher Nolan<\/a> epic.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp\">Trumps earned millions <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/movies\/2026\/07\/01\/melania-trump-documentary-earnings\/90774377007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|spike click:9|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp_a\">from &#8216;Melania&#8217; movie deal<\/a><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I have a message for everyone who was upset about diversity in &#8216;The Odyssey.&#8217; If you want to see a film with a cast of all white people who are cursed by the gods,&#8221; he said, pausing for dramatic effect, &#8220;the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/movies\/2026\/07\/01\/melania-trump-documentary-earnings\/90774377007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">&#8216;Melania&#8217; movie<\/a> is currently streaming.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The actor then did a quick vaudeville jig for comedic effect.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img gnt_em_img__inset\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:440px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/07\/21\/USAT\/90992295007-2281312875.jpg?width=300&amp;height=440&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/07\/21\/USAT\/90992295007-2281312875.jpg?width=600&amp;height=880&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Colman Domingo takes part in the Storytelling Summit: EW's Awardist podcast during the 2026 Tribeca Festival at Spring Studios on June 12, 2026, in New York City.\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Helen of Troy is a Greek mythological character who doesn&#8217;t appear in Homer&#8217;s epic. She is only described as one of the most beautiful women in the world and &#8220;the face that launched 1,000 ships,&#8221; whose abduction starts the Trojan war. She is not a historical figure.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp\">Why Christopher Nolan&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/movies\/2026\/07\/20\/the-odyssey-christopher-nolan-women\/90961320007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|spike click:14|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp_a\">&#8216;The Odyssey&#8217; still has a women problem<\/a><\/aside>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Nyong&#8217;o responded to complaints to her casting in an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elle.com\/culture\/movies-tv\/a71283989\/lupita-nyongo-the-odyssey-interview-2026\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Elle<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I&#8217;m very supportive of Chris&#8217; intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling,&#8221; the actress said. &#8220;Our cast is representative of the world. I&#8217;m not spending my time thinking of a defense. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated July 21, 2026, 11:41 a.m. ET Colman Domingo has some thoughts on some &#8220;The Odyssey&#8221; detractors. Domingo, the latest guest host of &#8220;Jimmy Kimmel Live!&#8221; amid the late-night host&#8217;s summer break, reacted to backlash over Lupita Nyong&#8217;o playing Helen of Troy in the film. The &#8220;Michael&#8221; star played a clip of podcaster and One&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/07\/21\/USAT\/90992295007-2281312875.jpg?crop=1978,1113,x0,y580&width=1978&height=1113&format=pjpg&auto=webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}