The merry-go-round has come full circle and we're back to this argument again. Kudos to actor/director Ben Stiller for sticking to his guns, and defending his movie. Tropic Thunder is once again trending for its well-known usage of blackface. If it seems like the same song and dance, you're absolutely right. But for some reason we keep having this argument.

I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. Don’t know who told you that. It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it. ?

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) February 21, 2023

That was this week. February 2023. 

Actually Tropic Thunder was boycotted 10 years ago when it came out, and I apologized then. It was always meant to make fun of actors trying to do anything to win awards. I stand by my apology, the movie, Shaun White, And the great people and work of the @SpecialOlympics. https://t.co/RqID5jIXP1

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) October 30, 2018

That was October 2018 after Olympian snowboarder, Shaun White dressed as Stiller's meta character 'Simple Jack' for Halloween. Remember how up in arms the internet got over that one? 

Stiller has made multiple statements about the film's characters and his story hasn't changed. He's not making fun of black people, he's not making fun of those with special needs. The film is, was, and always will be a commentary on how ridiculous actors are and the lines they'll cross to win an award.

In an interview with Joe Rogan, actor Jamie Foxx talked about Robert Downey Jr's use of blackface in the film.

Is there value to the argument about why there are only two black actors in the entire cast? Of course, there is. Is there validity to the argument that objectively, some of these jokes didn't land in 2008 and most certainly wouldn't land today? Absolutely. But the fact that we're still trying to cancel Tropic Thunder after all this time is really a stretch.

Props to Ben Stiller for standing by his film.