In honor of Black History Month, The TODAY Show recently aired a segment revealing what was meant to be an accurate reconstruction of the bust of Queen Nefertiti. The only problem is that their version of the Egyptian queen looks awfully close to Caucasian.
Josh Gates, host of Travel Channel series Expedition Unknown, presented the piece that was created through high-tech imaging. The resulting bust, while donned in traditional Egyptian headdress and jewelry, looks more like a White woman home from a tropical vacation than the queen of an African nation that gave birth to King Tut.
“Harpo, who dis woman?” Queen Nefertiti? #Naw. pic.twitter.com/Vefjr3a7lu
— IG: iamBDAHT (@BDAHT) February 6, 2018
This didn’t sit well with most of Black Twitter, who called out the morning show in huge numbers. Take a look at some of the best reactions below.
This was revealed today on Good morning America as the 3-D replicated version of Queen Nefertiti, the BLACK woman from Egypt which is in AFRICA pic.twitter.com/fQjYjrBV5k
— NoDell Beckham (@TerrytheWriter) February 5, 2018
So the today show just gone tell people that Queen Nefertiti was a white woman😒
— Lexx The Libra (@_ackiss) February 6, 2018
They made a replica bust of what they think queen Nefertiti looked like and they made her a white woman. pic.twitter.com/G4HjXxQeFp
— kelsey 💲💲💲 (@billnihilism69) February 5, 2018
So wait?
Queen Nefertiti was a white chick?
Really?
In Egypt 1370 B.C.E.
Not a single bust or representation from the time shows this.#black_history#facts_matter#wrong #really? https://t.co/2rmoZKVWUy— FG (@shuttersny) February 6, 2018
Nah.
Not today.
No way🙅🏽♂️.
Queen Nefertiti is Black.✊🏾— Mark Sanders (@marksanders004) February 6, 2018
Listen I did not get Queen Nefertiti tatted on my arm for y’all to portray her as a white woman. Not today satan NOT TODAY
— Call Me Key (@keybabbyyy) February 6, 2018
Your depiction of Queen Nefertiti on the Today show is DISGUSTING! You obviously do not know history. You are a fraud. All of Ancient Kemet was ruled by BLACK Africans, sorry if yr neanderthal brain can’t accept that.
— CWHaircare (@CwHaircare) February 6, 2018
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Born and raised in Compton, California, Jessica Bennett began her career as an intern at The Oakland Post, and later, The Source Magazine. She went on to write for respected hip hop publications such as DJ Booth and Hip Hop DX before becoming the Urban Editor of pop culture website, Wetpaint.com. She joined Ebony as the Entertainment Editor August 2017. Bennett has interviewed such names as Vanessa Williams, Spike Lee, Tyra Banks, Forest Whitaker, Magic & Cookie Johnson and several others.