Sutton Foster's Surfaced Impression of 'Dreamgirls's' Effie Stirs Controversy: "This Was Painful"

With all of the drama surrounding Sutton Foster lately — from her recent divorce to her scandalous, rumored relationship with Broadway co-star Hugh Jackman — it was only a matter of time before someone dug up some unsavory business from her past.

Sutton has garnered a lot of public hate, with many expressing frustration that her fame grants her access to certain roles in showbiz that she may not be qualified for (welcome to Hollywood, people). However, her latest controversy is a bit more damning.

In a resurfaced video being circulated on TikTok, Sutton sang her rendition of "And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going" from Dreamgirls, which was sung by Jennifer Holliday as Effie White. However, many have cast criticism on her impression, accusing her of "mocking" the original performance. Let's take a look.

In an over-10-year-old clip that's currently making the rounds on social media, Sutton gives an over-the-top performance of "And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going" that has viewers shocked. During the song, she seems to exaggerate her voice and mannerisms in a way that many have said feels like it's mocking the original source material, particularly in a racist way.

When asked to explain why the clip is offensive, one person wrote on TikTok, "[The song] was originally played by Jennifer Holliday, who is Black, and it’s iconic. Sutton Foster is obviously [white], and the way she’s singing — like, her mannerisms and stuff — is basically mocking that."

Another said, "[White people] can and have sung this song beautifully. She's making fun of it and using a 'blaccent' and exaggerated mannerisms to mock it. Which is racist."

According to one fan in the comments, the reason for Sutton's performance of the song dates back to one of her earlier tours, during which she would pull random Broadway songs from a hat and sing them onstage. At this particular show, she happened to pull the iconic Dreamgirls tune ... and turned it into this PR nightmare.

"She could have done this in her own voice and it would have been amazing," one person pointed out.

Many were quick to frustratedly point out the audience's joyful reception to her impression, as well: "Are the people in the audience laughing?" And yes, they were. "She’s making a mockery of [Black people], so of course they’re gonna laugh," one person responded.

As of writing, it doesn't seem that Sutton has ever addressed — or apologized for — her offensive impersonation, which is just another reason why folks can't seem to get the incident out of their heads.