Raven-Symone Says She's "From Every Continent in Africa Except One"

Same!

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Yes, you read that headline right. In an interview with E! News, former child star Raven-Symone said, "I'm from every continent in Africa except for one." Before you get all up in arms, know that she then said, "And I'm from every continent in Europe except for one." Raven was talking about her supposed Ancestry.com results to defend recent comments she's made about being "colorless" and defending a Univision news anchor who said Michelle Obama looks like a monkey. Yikes.

Even if you give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she meant country instead of continent, that's pretty much impossible. Many Americans are obviously of mixed heritage, even if they simply identify as "white" or "black," but by Raven's count, she has ancestors in 49 out of 50 countries in Europe and and 53 out of 54 countries in Africa. Um, what?

She also said that her family has lived in Virginia for the last 400 years—which would be around 1615. The first permanent colony (Jamestown) was settled in 1607 by the English crown, with the first Africans arriving around 1619. Chief Powhatan (Pocahontas' dad, for those keeping score) ruled the Algonquin tribes in the region in the late 1500s, but that would negate Raven's Afro-European lineage, no? Basically, facepalm. 

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