John Wayne’s daughters defend their late dad’s legacy after his shocking Playboy interview resurfaces.

Throughout his career, Wayne brought joy to millions of people with his various Hollywood roles.

The star, however, has become the target of cancel culture after the 1971 interview he did with Playboy Magazine resurfaced yet again.

In the interview, Wayne made some controversial comments about race and morality.

He said at the time:

I believe in white supremacy until the Blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.

I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.

In that same interview, Wayne also said he had no remorse for the subjugation of Native Americans. He even described movies like Easy Rider and Midnight Cowboy as perverted.

While he said this nearly 50 years ago, his comments have stirred up outrage and a fiery debate online.

Wayne’s family, however, especially his daughters, don’t feel that their father’s character should be judged solely from this interview.

Defending her dad’s legacy, Marisa Wayne told Closer Weekly:

He had his opinions, but he respected you if you disagreed with him.

He had the ability to see both sides of the story.

Her sister, Aissa Wayne, also agreed that their dad ‘loved people,’ and insisted he was always a ‘people person.’

She said:

He cared about his fellow human beings. I think that really was a big feature about him.

The legend’s son Ethan earlier released a statement of his own to defend his dad and his legacy.

He said:

Let me make one thing clear, Wayne was not a racist.

I know that term is casually tossed around these days, but I take it very seriously. I also understand how we got to this point.

There is no question that the words John Wayne spoke in an interview 50 years ago have caused pain and anger.

The words pained him as well. He realized people misunderstood his true feelings.

Ethan continued:

The truth is, as we have seen in papers from his archives, he did not support ‘white supremacy’ in any way.

He believed that responsible people should gain power without the use of violence.

The son added that the statement in the Playboy interview didn’t depict his father.

He said:

Those who knew him knew he judged everyone as an individual and believed everyone deserved an equal opportunity.

He called out bigotry when he saw it. He hired and worked with people of all races, creeds, and sexual orientations.

And he stood for the very best for all of us. A society that doesn’t discriminate against anyone seeking the American dream.

Sadly, there are lots of people who disagree with John Wayne’s children.

For instance, the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts agreed to remove a tribute for the star, following students and alumni’s protests.

Activists also created a campaign in California’s Orange County to rename John Wayne Airport and remove his statue.

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