- American Newsmax journalist Rob Finnerty faced Kenyan backlash after comparing New York's urban conditions to Nairobi during a live broadcast
- Kenyans unearthed an older video in which Finnerty dismissed Lupita Nyong'o's casting in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey as 'ridiculous'
- Finnerty argued that casting a Black woman as Helen of Troy contradicted the director's stated commitment to realism
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A resurfaced video of Newsmax journalist Rob Finnerty criticising the casting of Kenyan-born actress Lupita Nyong'o in Christopher Nolan's film *The Odyssey* reignited anger among Kenyans in October 2026.
Source: Facebook
This arrived at a particularly charged moment after his separate on-air remarks about Nairobi had already drawn fierce condemnation.
Finnerty had earlier sparked outrage when, during a news segment on immigration, he suggested that American cities were beginning to resemble Nairobi rather than New York due to the influx of migrants.
He added that authorities lacked a clear picture of where the migrants originated before passing to a colleague for street interviews. Kenyans flooded his social media channels demanding a public apology.
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Finnerty's Comments on Lupita's Casting
As the backlash over the Nairobi remarks intensified, a separate clip of Finnerty commenting on *The Odyssey* began circulating widely online.
In the footage, he described the decision to cast Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy as "ridiculous" and accused Hollywood of practising what he called "fakeism" and rewriting history.
His argument centred on the idea that casting a Black woman to portray a mythical figure traditionally depicted as a blonde, white Greek woman clashed with the director's emphasis on realism.
"I have not seen the movie and do not have plans to see it, but its not magnificent because of the casting because there is a cast female playing a male Greek warrior and a black woman from Nigeria is playing a Greek princess that is ridiculous," he said in the clip.
He went further, stating:
"Proving that Lupita Nyong'o, originally from Kenya, was the perfect girl to cast to play the role of Helen of Troy, a mythical blonde Greek woman, the movie is not magnificent."
The footage drew a fresh wave of criticism, with many Kenyans pointing out that he incorrectly identified Lupita as being from Nigeria.
Kenyans respond to Rob Finnerty's comments
Gitau wa Chege wrote:
"If the movie Odyssey was following the history of which Greeks were black from Africa Lupita Nyong'o was the perfect actress to use coz she looks like a Greek goddess."
Erick Kithinji Mbaeh said:
"Is it possible to make a request through the US Embassy to have him flown to Nairobi and delivered to the CBD, next to the Tom Mboya Monument? We Kenyans only need 10 minutes to meet him in person and appreciate his apology!"
Lily Jay commented:
"The other racist thing he says is for Americans to tackle! I'm just glad Kenyans stood up, called him out, and held him accountable for what he said about."
Jimmy Sugut added:
"I was on my way to get this out after listening to Lynn Ngugi and boy I was fired up to my eyeballs thanks for been on it."
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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