It was the 2020 Golden Globes, a night usually reserved for Hollywood's elite to pat each other on the back and sip expensive champagne. Tom Hanks was there to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. Everything was going according to the script until his son, Chet Hanks, stepped onto the red carpet and basically broke the internet with a single video.
He wasn't just talking. He was speaking in a thick, full-throated Jamaican Patois.
The clip went nuclear. Within minutes, people weren't talking about Tom’s legendary career; they were asking why the son of America's dad was "bigging up the whole island massive" while wearing a tuxedo in Beverly Hills. It was surreal. It was jarring. Honestly, for many, it was the definition of second-hand embarrassment.
The Moment Everything Changed
You've probably seen the footage. Chet looks into the camera and starts flowing in an accent that definitely didn't come from his upbringing in Los Angeles. "Big up, big up! The whole island massive!" he shouted. He told the camera his father was "presenting an award, soon forward come."
The reaction was split right down the middle. One half of the internet was crying laughing, meme-ing the hell out of his "White Chocolate" persona. The other half was calling it "verbal blackface" and blatant cultural appropriation. It wasn't a one-off joke, either. Chet didn't back down. He didn't apologize. Instead, he doubled down on Instagram, posting more videos in the accent and telling "average citizens" to worry about World War III instead of his voice.
He basically told everyone to relax.
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Why Does He Actually Do It?
The "why" is where things get a bit more complicated than just a guy being a "goofball," as he later called himself. Chet has had a wild ride in the public eye. He’s been a rapper under the name Chet Haze. He’s struggled with addiction. He’s lived a life very different from his "perfect" family image.
In a 2022 interview with Ziwe on her Showtime show, she grilled him on the accent. She asked if he felt the need to apologize to marginalized communities. His answer was a flat "Nah." He told her he didn't feel like he'd done anything offensive. In his mind, it’s a "celebration of culture."
But where did he even learn it? He’s claimed in various interviews and social media "Chet Chats" that he picked it up from the people he hung out with. He once mentioned a girl he was seeing for a few months who talked that way, and he just... learned it. Some people find that hard to swallow, while others argue that if you spend enough time in a community, you naturally pick up the lingo.
The Great Appropriation Debate
This is where the conversation gets heavy. Is a white man from a billionaire-adjacent family using Patois a tribute or a theft?
Linguists and cultural critics have pointed out that Patois isn't just a "fun accent." It's an English-based creole with West African influences, born out of a history of resistance and survival. When a person of immense privilege "puts it on" like a costume for a red carpet stunt, it hits a nerve.
- The Appropriation Argument: Critics say he’s profiting from a culture he doesn't belong to. He can "turn it off" whenever he wants to go back to being a Hanks. Jamaicans and members of the Black diaspora often face discrimination for their speech, while Chet gets viral fame for it.
- The Appreciation Argument: Interestingly, not every Jamaican was offended. Dancehall star Spice actually defended him, saying she liked it because he was "embracing the culture." On apps like Clubhouse, some Jamaican users expressed that they didn't see it as a threat because their culture is so strong it can’t be "stolen."
The divide is real. Black Americans, who have a different history with cultural theft in the US, often felt more offended than people actually living in Jamaica. It’s a nuance that Chet himself seemed to ignore when he told "social justice warriors to kick rocks."
From Patois to White Boy Summer
If you thought the accent was the peak of his viral career, you forgot about "White Boy Summer." In early 2021, Chet declared that the upcoming season would be a "White Boy Summer." He clarified he didn't mean "Trump, NASCAR type white boy," but rather "Jack Harlow, Jon B, Chet Hanx type white boy."
Naturally, he used the Jamaican accent to promote the merchandise.
He even released a song called "White Boy Summer" that featured heavy dancehall influences. He was leaning all the way in. He called himself the "White Don Dadda." At this point, it was clear this wasn't just a phase. It was his entire brand. He found a niche in being the "unfiltered" son of a legend, and he was going to ride that wave as long as possible.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often assume Chet is just "crazy" or doing this for attention. While the attention definitely helps his fitness brand (Hanks Fit) and his music, there seems to be a genuine, if misguided, attachment to the culture. He appeared in the TV show Atlanta, playing a character at a funeral who speaks in a Trinidadian accent. It was a meta-commentary on his own life. The show's creator, Donald Glover, clearly saw the absurdity and the complexity of Chet's persona.
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He’s a man who grew up with everything but seemingly felt a disconnect from the "elite" world his father occupies. Using the accent might be his way of forging an identity that feels "realer" to him, even if it feels "fake" to everyone else.
Actionable Insights: How to Navigate Cultural Nuance
If there's one thing the Chet Hanks saga teaches us, it's that context is everything. If you're looking to appreciate a culture without being the next viral villain, keep these points in mind:
- Understand the History: Before adopting slang, accents, or styles, learn where they came from. If a language was born out of struggle, using it for a "joke" on a red carpet is going to end badly.
- Listen to the Community: Don't just find the one person who agrees with you. Look at the broader conversation. If a large segment of a community says something is hurtful, it probably is.
- Check Your Privilege: Acknowledge that you can "opt-out" of a culture in a way the people born into it cannot. That power dynamic matters.
- Be Authentic, Not a Caricature: There's a difference between being influenced by a culture and mimicking it. Influence shows up in your work; mimicry shows up in your "bits."
Chet Hanks remains a polarizing figure. Whether he's a "culture vulture" or just a guy living his truth, he's managed to do something most celebrity kids can't: he's made himself unforgettable, for better or worse.
Next time you hear a "Big up!" on a red carpet, you'll know exactly who started the trend.
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Next Steps
You can watch the original Golden Globes clip to see the "massive" shoutout for yourself, or check out his interview on Ziwe for a masterclass in uncomfortable celebrity interactions. If you're interested in the linguistics of it, looking into the history of Jamaican Patois will give you a much deeper understanding of why this specific accent caused such a global stir.