Jimmy Kimmel needs to apologize for blackface sketch, not take a vacation

Jimmy Kimmel needs to address the blackface controversy that’s engulfed him — and not by taking the summer off from “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” That’s the coward’s way out. Kimmel needs to apologize for the resurfaced blackface sketches that aired during his days on Comedy Central’s “The Man Show” (1999-2004), which included him playing NBA star …

Jimmy Kimmel needs to address the blackface controversy that’s engulfed him — and not by taking the summer off from “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

That’s the coward’s way out.

Kimmel needs to apologize for the resurfaced blackface sketches that aired during his days on Comedy Central’s “The Man Show” (1999-2004), which included him playing NBA star Karl Malone and a parody of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” called “Oprah Jimfrey.” You can only imagine. This is bad no matter in what sociological timeframe they aired, exacerbated amid the ongoing (and hopefully just beginning) national discussion about institutional racism in all forms.

The sketches have sparked outrage on social media, but only silence from Kimmel (thus far) and his bosses at ABC, who — oh, yeah — just announced their late-night superstar will host the Emmys telecast Sept. 20. They wouldn’t want to ruin that, right? (Even though no one watches the Emmys anymore.)

Not so coincidentally, the Brooklyn-born Kimmel, 52, said on his half-hour (remotely broadcast) show Thursday night that he’s taking a summer vacation. “I’ve been doing this job for almost 18 years,” he said. “I’ve done 3,130 shows. And there’s nothing wrong, my family is healthy, I’m healthy, I just need a couple of months off.” Not a word about “The Man Show” controversy. He even joked about his sudden hiatus in an on-air sketch with mock enemy Matt Damon.

Dude. Really?

Kimmel needs to rip a page from the playbook of his late-night rival, “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, who was called out last month for impersonating Chris Rock in blackface for a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that aired in 2000. Fallon, to his credit, faced the music — no “vacation” for him — and used Twitter to address the controversy. “I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface,” he tweeted. “There is no excuse for this. I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable.”

Should Fallon have apologized on his NBC show? Perhaps. Would he have apologized at all had no one remembered the racially insensitive sketch? Maybe not. Would anyone? Maybe not. But Fallon did apologize, while nearly every other performer who participated in a blackface sketch or used racial slurs has apologized or self-flagellated, including the creators of UK sketch-comedy series “Little Britain,” British TV hosts Ant and Dec and Howard Stern.

And that says a lot.

Kimmel’s continued silence means that this ugly boil will only fester over the next few months as public outrage is bound to reach a crescendo — or a cancellation. Fallon apologized, blamed no one but himself and moved on. Fans are already buzzing on Twitter, calling for Kimmel to say sorry like Fallon did.

Kimmel has done neither — and he needs to come clean before his legacy is forever tarnished by past indiscretions.