The Massive Blackface Scandal That Could Topple Virginia’s Top Democrats – A Guide For Brits

But then rumours began circulating of another controversial photo, and this time it was Herring who was said to been in “blackface”.

On Thursday Herring released a statement on Twitter which did not acknowledge the existence of a photo but did detail an incident from his youth.

He said he and two friends dressed up to look like rappers they listened to, including Kurtis Blow, admitting: “It sounds ridiculous even now writing it.”

“That conduct clearly shows that, as a young man, I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behaviour could inflict on others,” he said.

But he added: “This conduct is in no way reflective of the man I have become in the nearly 40 years since.”