UFC legend Conor McGregor’s family have denied that their matriarch Margaret wore blackface for Halloween celebrations, after social media users accused the Irishwoman of using the offensive form of theatrical makeup.
Margaret McGregor had her face painted black on Halloween night, as shown in photos and videos posted to Instagram by her former UFC champion son Conor McGregor and his sister Erin.
But due to the backlash received online, the McGregors have had to deny accusations that Margaret used blackface when celebrating Halloween at McGregor’s Dublin pub The Black Forge Inn.
“The McGregor family loves Halloween. Mrs. McGregor had spiders painted on her face since her costume was a ghoul risen from the grave,” they said in a statement to The Mirror.
“Any other interpretation was just wrong and truly unfortunate.”
Erin McGregor posted a video of her mother in her costume and wrote: “Mad Magzer loving the Halloween vibe.”
But swathes of people were unimpressed by the 63-year-old’s choice of attire and made their feelings clear across social media in the replies sections.
“Loved Conor McGregor’s outfit for Halloween,” said one popular ‘social commentator’ on Twitter, in reference to a clean-shaved pilot look from ‘Notorious’.
“His mum going full on ‘blackface’ however, I like that less. A. Lot. Less…”
“Come on bruh we still doing blackface in 2022?” asked a separate party on Instagram, as the choice of makeup was called “disgusting” and “absolutely shocking.”
Not everyone got hot and bothered about Margaret McGregor’s actions, however, with many saying that blackface, had she intended to use it, did not have the same negative and racial connotations in Ireland.
“Let’s face it, there is no problem here whatsoever... Also this is not blackface. Just a woman in a costume,” stressed a Twitter user.
McGregor – whose own costume honored notorious conman Frank Abagnale, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie ‘Catch Me If You Can’ – has not addressed the controversy himself but is likely to defend his mother if the row intensifies.
In 2020, he said that he was “very proud” of Margaret for having come through a difficult time and becoming “like a completely new woman.”
“What she did was she led by example. I saw my mother in the great light she was in and I was in awe of it,” McGregor added.
Teasing a comeback to the octagon in 2023 after a horrific leg-break loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July of last year, McGregor has recently ventured into Hollywood by starring in a remake of the 1980s cult classic ‘Road House’, which is set to be released next year.