Several years ago, when it was okay to openly sexual harass women in a room full of people on camera, maybe 2015, maybe 2016, I came across a video clip of a young white woman attempting to interview Morgan Freeman as part of his press tour for whatever movie he was in at that time. I remember feeling disgusted by Freeman, and that video reminded me of why I’ve always felt deep disdain for old men. Some old men are sweet like grandpas, and some old men are not. Unfortunately, I can’t tell from a distance who is who, so I pretty much hate all old men.

But, I digress. The point is, up until I saw the visual proof that Freeman is a creepy old man, I rather enjoyed him as an actor. I mean, Morgan Freeman taught me the meaning of expeditiously. He told the white leader of the armed forces to shut up and sit down, and he did. Who is a better God than Morgan? Plus, he saved a whole cave full of white women and cousin Faith.

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When news dropped this weekend that eight women accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior, I was not at all surprised. I remember when his step grand-daughter was murdered by her abusive boyfriend, and the story circulated that perhaps Freeman had been allegedly having a sexually inappropriate relationship with his step grand-daughter. As I said, I was not surprised.

However, for those who feel compelled to unfurl their capes and climb up that rolling hill that you will eventually die on for the likes of Morgan Freeman, let me offer you some solace. First, Morgan Freeman been on his Kanye before Kanye was on his Kanye which means he doesn’t see it for your poor, black ass, and he wants you to lace your boots up and work hard like he did. Second, it’s okay to be disappointed in someone you admired. It’s okay to still consume their work if that’s what you desire. It’s okay to acknowledge that someone you like might be an asshole but you still like them anyway. You ain’t got to justify it. Third, America has very efficient tools to take black men down expeditiously; they hardly need to fabricate sexual harassment claims by multiple women to accomplish that.

And finally, whenever you start to feel anxious that this might be the Black male celebrity they make an example of, which for some reason, you have decided to take personally because you’re probably a creep too and worried that the next women you exploit or assault will get justice, let me remind you of how many Black male celebrities continue to prosper after sexual assault allegations:

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Tupac was convicted, got out of jail, got signed and proceeded to make some of the biggest hits of his career. Posthumously, multiple movies and documentaries have been created about his life (do any of them show how he allegedly let all his homeboys rape that girl?). Tupac lives on in everyone’s hearts and minds as an icon and musical ‘genius.’

Mike Tyson, who was also convicted, eventually produced a critically acclaimed documentary that aired on HBO. He has a show that airs on Cartoon Network.

Kobe Bryant, a ‘genius’ shooter and basketball legend, continued playing for the LA Lakers and winning several championships after he was accused of anally raping a woman. We don’t even bring that little rape situation up anymore.

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Michael Jackson, a musical ‘genius,’ continued to prosper and sell albums after being accused of sexually inappropriate behavior with children. Including his name on this list is a risk because people love Michael so much that we all collectively don’t acknowledge those allegations. He lives on in our minds and hearts as a legend and an icon.

Robert Kelly married a child more than twenty years ago and continues to be featured on rap songs, continues to sell out concerts, and continues to get booked for tours.

Of course, the most prolific serial rapists of our time, William Cosby is also considered a ‘genius’ for what he did for Black representation. Yes, he was recently convicted for his crimes, but he still got to spend the majority of his life quite comfortably even though his exploits with women were well known in the industry and among the common folk. For Cosby, it’s a race between death and sentencing at this point, but either way, he has enough resources to live out the rest of his days in relative comfort. Even the Cosby conviction can give you some peace of mind; it lets you know that you can continue to be a terrible person exploiting and assaulting women without fear of facing consequences until you’re too old for it to matter in any real way anyway.

Sidenote – Isn’t it odd how many problematic men are associated with the word genius? Almost like, we call them a genius to absolve them of their harm?

Anyway, I will be fine if I never see Morgan Freeman and his gnarled teeth in another movie. Let’s not even call it canceled anymore because too many people come back from that. Let’s exile them, excommunicate them, make it so they disappear from public consciousness. Erase them from the mainframe like they did Sandra Bullock on The Net. That’s where I’m at with it, how about you?