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Good Morning America Host Slammed For Offensive Term To Describe Zendaya

Amy Robach, co-host on US show ‘Good Morning America’, has had to apologise after she used the offensive term ‘coloured’ to describe ‘Spiderman: Homecoming’ star Zendaya.

The broadcaster was presenting a segment on Hollywood casting, after rumours that the former Disney Channel actress is set to play Mary Jane Watson in the new movie.

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The crux of the piece was the furore and racist trolling that has surfaced over MJ’s role being played by a black actress.

“Now we all know Hollywood has received recent and quite a bit of criticism for casting white actors in what one might assume should be a role reserved for coloured people,” she said during yesterday’s show.

Viewers were quick to point out her use of the outdated and offensive term.

Later, Robach said sorry for the blunder.

“This morning during a segment about Hollywood casting, I mistakenly said ‘coloured people’ instead of ‘people of colour’,” read a statement.

“I sincerely apologize. It was a mistake and is not at all a reflection of how I feel or speak in my everyday life.”

Last week, once the story had emerged, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director James Gunn slammed the online trolls.

“I can’t respond to the racists – I’m not ever going to change their minds,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

“But for the thoughtful majority of you out there: For me, if a character’s primary attribute – the thing that makes them iconic – is the color of their skin, or their hair color, frankly, that character is shallow and sucks. For me, what makes MJ MJ is her alpha female playfulness, and if the actress captures that, then she’ll work.”

Image credits: Entertainment Tonight