James Patterson is a bestselling American author, whose net worth as of 2022 is estimated to be around $800 million. Having created memorable book series involving the Women’s Murder Club and Michael Bennett, among others, the 75-year-old lives in Palm Beach, Florida. However, Patterson has recently come under fire for comments made during an interview with The Sunday Times. 

White men and racism – the taboo utterance 

Patterson noted that white men struggle to find writing jobs in films, theatre, television, as well as publishing houses, lamenting that this is “another form of racism”. 

He rhetorically asked, “Can you get a job? Yes. Is it harder? Yes. It’s even harder for older writers. You don’t meet many 52-year-old white males.” 

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For his part, six of Patterson’s books have been made into films over time. Deadline reported that Sony picked up his ‘Run, Rose, Run’, which was on top of the New York Times bestseller list since March 1, after “competitive” bidding. 

Black skin but no character depth – The Alex Cross conundrum

Three of the six Patterson novels to be turned into films featured detective Alex Cross. He’s been best portrayed by Morgan Freeman in movies like ‘Kiss the Girls’ and ‘Along Came a Spider’. 

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However, Patterson clarified in the interview, “I just wanted to create a character who happened to be Black. I would not have tried to write a serious saga about a Black family. It’s different in a detective story because plot is so important.” 

The internet reacts 

The internet did not take too kindly to Patterson’s comments, commenting below a photo of The Sunday Times the author posted. 

One user commented, “Elderly white man worth 700 million (with a team of ghost writers) is upset over the thought of equality in publishing because it’s chips away of his white male privileges.” 

Another user pointed out that marginalized people hardly have a platform to have their voices heard, while Patterson was trying to amplify the voice of a dominant group, that is, white males. 

A fan noted their disappointment, tweeting, “As a fan, I’m deeply disappointed by your comments on ‘reverse racism'”.

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Yet another, posted a photo of Chris Rock from ‘The Longest Yard’ movie, which says “Hey, you’re white, smile”. 

Amid the current backlash, it has also surfaced that Patterson supported Woody Allen, the film director, who is having trouble publishing his memoir amid renewed allegations of abuse by ex-wife Mia Farrow’s children. 

Speaking to The Sunday Times, the author reiterated his point, saying “I hated that. He has the right to tell his own story.”