Twitter reacts to Awkwafina’s presence in Disney+ Super Bowl ad: ‘More like Awkwardfina’

A new Super Bowl commercial for Disney+ has got Twitter’s goat for featuring divisive Asian American comedian Awkwafina. The star of such recent Walt Disney Co.-backed hits as Raya and the Last Dragon and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings appears in the streaming service’s 30-second spot alongside a number of actual goats dressed up as Mouse House characters ranging from Cruella to Loki. (Watch the ad above.)

In an awkward bit of timing, the ad is premiering one week after Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum, left Twitter after responding to accusations that she has appropriated black culture. In a statement posted on her official Twitter account on Feb. 5, the comedian discussed her use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in her stand-up work, as well as her appearances in films like Ocean’s Eight.

“As a non-Black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE, what is deemed appropriate or backwards toward the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group,” she wrote. “But I must emphasize: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not. My. Nature. It never has, and it never was.”

On Twitter, Awkwafina’s critics questioned why Disney+ chose to play the spot during Black History Month, and also speculated if the Super Bowl spot might have prompted her statement.