Da’Vinchi Says Americans Have Been ‘Lazy’ and ‘Incompetent For A Really Long Time’

Haitian American actor Da’Vinchi is making waves online following claims that Americans are “lazy” and “incompetent for a really long time.”

A star in Starz’s drama “BMF,” born Abraham D. Juste, has also addressed the ongoing, highly contentious notion that Caribbean Americans consider themselves “better” than Black Americans. He made the comments in an interview with former NFL quarterback Cam Newton, sparking a nationwide debate about work ethic, Hollywood casting, and identity within the Black diaspora.

His comments came during an appearance on Newton’s “Funky Friday” podcast, with clips circulating on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube since Friday.

Newton asked why British performers and other foreign actors keep getting American roles. Da’Vinchi suggested that some producers think that foreign actors are more focused on acting and less interested in their popularity and building an influencer persona. He also believes Americans’ work ethic can make people in power wary of trusting them.

He argues that his generation sees people becoming less and less capable and says the U.S. spoils its youth, adding that Americans “baby our kids in a way that is unheard of.” He describes grown-ups in their 20s and 30s as unable to do their laundry and says that he is capable of taking care of himself by the age of eight.

“But in America, no shade to you guys, you’re just incompetent for a really long time,” he said.

@funkyfriday

Are Americans getting too comfortable? 👀

♬ original sound – Funky Friday

Newton, a former Carolina Panthers quarterback and 2015 NFL MVP, disagreed. He argued that the whole country is built on efficiency and that people will always pick the most convenient path to finish a task. Da’Vinchi stood his ground, arguing that when children are not prepared, they suffer the consequences.

Newton also brought up the decades-old stigma that Black people from the Caribbean, Africa, and the United Kingdom think that they are superior to Black Americans.

“I think that’s true,” Da’Vinchi answered, but added that he does not agree with that attitude.

He also mentioned Haiti’s successful revolution against French colonial powers, which ended in independence in 1804, as the reason for the attitude of superiority over Black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved people in the United States. Critics argue that the comparison misses the many uprisings organized by enslaved people in America.

Da’Vinchi is a Brooklyn-born 30-year-old, the first in his family to be born in the United States. In the podcast, he says his parents and grandparents are from Haiti, and that his grandmother, who did not speak English, helped raise him. He describes the mix of Haitian and American cultures in his upbringing.

In a previous interview on REVOLT’s “The Blackprint,” he spoke about poverty in his childhood, relying on school lunch and watching his mother provide for the family on around $30,000 a year.

He is best known for playing Terry “Southwest T” Flenory on “BMF,” the Starz crime drama executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson about Detroit’s Black Mafia Family. Starz canceled the series in October 2025 after four seasons. In the conversation with Newton, Da’Vinchi talks about working with Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr., playing his onscreen brother, and the end of the series.

He also appeared as Darnell Hayes on The CW’s “All American” and as a character in the 2020 Ben Affleck movie “The Way Back.”

His comments touched a nerve in the long-lasting debate over Hollywood casting. Black Americans have often questioned why culturally specific African American roles are given to performers of British, African, or Caribbean origin. Samuel L. Jackson brought the issue into the spotlight in 2017 when he questioned the casting of British actor Daniel Kaluuya in “Get Out.”

Freedmen Nation, an advocacy group for Black Americans descended from enslaved people in the United States, added Da’Vinchi to their boycott list on Sunday, according to Baller Alert. The group said it objects to generalizations diminishing the talent and hard work of Black Americans.

Brandon Barry Brown, an actor who says he was once friends with Da’Vinchi, released a TikTok clip in which he says Da’Vinchi had harbored negative attitudes toward Black Americans for a long time and once told him he wanted to keep his brand separate from Black identity. Brown also mentions that Da’Vinchi is himself raised in the United States.

@brandonbarrybrown

Here’s the truth about “DAVINCHI” #davinchi #camnewton #funkyfriday

♬ original sound – Brandon Brown

Da’Vinchi responded to at least one critic on Threads, saying his comments were not meant to insult her personally.

“It was a generalized statement. I should’ve been more specific,” he wrote.

He later released a post set to the song by Tupac Shakur, “Hit ‘Em Up,” which some of his fans saw as his defiant response to the backlash.

Some critics argue the full conversation shows more nuance than those viral clips suggest. Da’Vinchi had previously talked about the trauma Black Americans experienced and praised their cultural influence.