Conor McGregor’s Mom Accused of Using Blackface for Halloween Costume

Conor McGregor’s Halloween post drew scrutiny after fans accused a family member of wearing Blackface on social media. Images taken of McGregor and his family have led some on Twitter and Instagram to condemn McGregor’s mother, Margaret, who has black paint all over her face in some photos. The former UFC two-division champion’s mom denied the claims through a McGregor spokesperson.”The McGregor family loves Halloween, a rep for McGregor stated to The Mirror. Mrs McGregor had spiders painted on her face since her costume was a ghoul risen from the grave. Any other interpretation was just wrong and truly unfortunate.” 

Despite the blurry pictures McGregor or other family members have shared, a closer look may reveal a pattern on his mom’s right cheek. Margaret also decked out in a blonde wig, a red dress adorned with leopard print with skeleton bones around the collar, while holding three fake small human skulls. McGregor has been caught in race-related controversies before. The buildup to his 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather brought him under fire for racially offensive comments when he urged Mayweather to “dance for me, boy” and also spoke of “dancing monkeys.” In April 2020, Sinead O’Connor also publicly accused McGregor of racism.

McGregor, 34, has not addressed the photos. He remains on the shelf regarding his UFC career after breaking his leg in his July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier. Currently, according to UFC president Dana White, McGregor is not part of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency drug-testing pool, which requires a six-month stint in the program before he can return. The athlete hasn’t competed since then, losing the fight because the doctor stopped the match before the second round could begin. McGregor ended up undergoing surgery for a broken tibia and fibula. Since then, it was revealed in August that McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal were set to star in a reboot of Road House.

While some were skeptical of the Blackface “clarification,” others decried more “woke” politics, to which verified Twitter user – Michael Morgan of Whoa TV – attempted to address the reasons behind why people were offended by the picture. “Loved Conor McGregor’s outfit for Halloween,” Morgan said of the former MMA fighter’s costume as a dashing airplane pilot. “His mum going full on ‘blackface’ however, I like that less. A. Lot. Less…”

The UK social commentator initially gave some context to the practice of Blackface, tweeting, “Blackface reminds many people of a time in America when Blacks were seen as less than full human beings, even considered to be less than animals. A time when blacks were humiliated and often mocked/lynched/hanged/beaten and/or killed because of it.” However, Morgan eventually lays it out to the doubters flooding his replies. “To the people defending it, it’s pretty well known across planet earth that white people cosplaying in Blackface is considered offensive,” he said. “Whether YOU find it offensive or not, something like this is generally viewed as poor taste and/or racist. It’s nothing new.”