I had forgotten how good an interviewer Megyn can be when she stays on topic. It was a good episode. For many lightskinned blacks, this used to be a very VERY big deal. Being able to pass as anything but black meant you had a chance to lead a completely different kind of life compared to your darker skinned cousins. It wasn’t ‘fair’, but it was the truth.
FunFact: Retired Broadway star Carol Channing discovered that her father, George Channing was a lightskinned black man.
It was not really discussed at home. She does recall singing gospel songs with him at home. His speech pattern switching from one way outside the house, to another inside the house. Later in life, Carol said, her mom may have just made it up to discourage Carol from becoming pregnant after she left home to go onstage. Her mom warned Carol, “Be careful. If you have a baby, it may come out black!”
That was fun!
Good for her.
...Her mother felt that the time was right to tell her since now that she was going off to college and would be on her own, she didn’t want her to be surprised if she ever had a black baby. Channing writes:
I know it’s true the moment I sing and dance. I’m proud as can be of [my black ancestry]. It’s one of the great strains in show business. I’m so grateful. My father was a very dignified man and as white as I am. My [paternal] grandparents were Nordic German, so apparently I [too] took after them [in appearance].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Channing