NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Ignites Controversy After Telling Racially-Tinged Joke With Clinton

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ignited controversy over the weekend for telling a racially-tinged joke at an event with Hillary Clinton and "Hamilton" star Leslie Odom Jr.

The joke came at the Inner Circle Dinner on Saturday night. In a rehearsed skit, Clinton poked fun at de Blasio for initially taking some time to endorse her.

“Thanks for the endorsement, Bill. Took you long enough," she joked.

"Sorry, Hillary. I was running on C.P. time," de Blasio quipped, an apparent reference to the "Colored People Time" stereotype.

“That’s not — I don’t like jokes like that, Bill," Odom said.

According to the New York Times, the joke left audience members cringing. Individuals also went after Clinton and de Blasio on social media.

The New York City mayor appeared on CNN Monday night and addressed the controversy, contending the skit was simply meant to be a joke.

"Every actor involved including Hillary Clinton and Leslie Odom Jr. thought it was a joke on a different convention," he said. "That was the whole idea of it."

A spokesperson for de Blasio added, "Let's be clear, in an evening of satire, the only person this was meant to mock was the mayor himself. Certainly no one intended to offend anyone."

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