ALBANY, N.Y. — U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler said Thursday he was sorry after the New York Times obtained photos of him in blackface at a college Halloween costume party about two decades ago, where he dressed as Michael Jackson.
The images emerged as Lawler, a first-term Republican, is locked in a competitive re-election battle for his congressional seat in New York’s Hudson Valley.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Lawler described himself as a lifelong Jackson superfan who sought to pay tribute to the pop star.
“When I tried to imitate Michael’s legendary dance moves at a college Halloween party eighteen years ago, the ugly practice of blackface was the furthest thing from my mind. Let me be clear, this is not that,” he said, adding that the costume was intended as “a heartfelt tribute to one of my childhood idols.”
“I study history and to anyone who is offended by the photo, I am sorry,” Lawler said. “All you can do is live and learn, and I appreciate the grace of everyone along the way.”
The times reported that the photo was taken in 2006 when Lawler was 20. In an image posted by the newspaper, Lawler is seen wearing a red jacket and posing with an outstretched arm in one of Jackson’s signature dance moves. He used bronzer to darken his face.
The congressman was a well-documented Jackson enthusiast.
Last year, The everyday beast reported on Lawler’s Jackson obsession. A biography of the pop icon, “Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story,” told how Lawler flew from New York to California at age 18 to attend Jackson’s criminal trial after the musician was accused of abusing a child. According to the biographer’s account, Lawler was so disgusted by some of the testimony that he could not resist muttering something derogatory and was thrown out of the courtroom.
In his statement Thursday, Lawler said “one of my greatest memories” was attending a Jackson concert at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Lawler is in a tough race against Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones, who is Black. Lawler became president in 2022 and has since become a mainstay on cable news programs.
Blackface minstrels It took hold in New York City in the 1830s and became popular among whites after the Civil War, although it was considered offensive to black people from the beginning of its use.
Several politicians and celebrities have been criticized for wearing blackface.