Nyle DiMarco Calls Out Jamie Foxx for Making Up Sign Language: 'It's Disrespectful'

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Nyle DiMarco is calling out Jamie Foxx.

The season 22 winner of Dancing With the Stars, who was also the first fully deaf contestant in the show's history, is upset at Foxx for making up sign language during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday night.


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On Saturday, the 28-year-old model and advocate for those hard of hearing shared a passionate letter on Twitter addressing to the Oscar winner.

"Jamie Foxx's behavior with Jimmy Fallon on Fallon Tonight should not be tolerated anywhere," the statement began. "We simply do not make fun at the expense of other cultures especially those with a history of being marginalized. When we do this, progress takes a step backward."

Adding that sign language is important to him because it is the bedrock of the deaf community, DiMarco wrote that only two percent of deaf people have access to education in the language.

"That is why I started Nyle DiMarco Foundation," he continued. "We are working with other organization to ensure every deaf child has a usable language before the age of 5. What Foxx did on Fallon Tonight made our struggle that much harder."


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On Friday night, after witnessing Foxx's actions, the America's Next Top Model winner also tweeted his frustration with the actor.

"Jamie Foxx it is straight up disrespectful to make up sign language," the 28-year-old model tweeted with video of Foxx randomly moving his hands and fingers. "Everything is in gibberish."

In a second tweet, he blasted Fallon, asking "how was this allowed? Where's the cultural sensitivity? Not comedy when you make fun of others."


ET has reached out to Foxx's reps for comment.