Justin Trudeau's Most Inappropriate Look Is A Scandal He'll Never Live Down

Over the years, there have been countless shocking Justin Trudeau moments that we haven't been able to look past. However, most of them pale in comparison to his brownface controversy. In September 2019, TIME shared a photo of the former Canadian prime minister wearing a turban and robes with a face covered in brown paint, while dressed up as Aladdin for a 2001 "Arabian Nights" gala. The offensive photo was snapped when Trudeau was a private school teacher just a few years before he entered the political arena. The politician notably gave the outlet the green light to publish the shot because he believed the world needed to see it. The article also featured a snap of Trudeau donning blackface to sing Jamaican folk song "Day-O" at his high school talent show. Shortly after it initially went live, Global News published yet another pic of the then-PM with blackface makeup that apparently extended all the way down to his arms. 

Around the same time, Trudeau expressed his regret about his past choices to reporters. Additionally, the politician conceded that although he didn't see his actions as racist at the time, he had since had a change of perspective. Trudeau offered another public apology shortly afterward, where he admitted that he "deeply regretted" his past choices and acknowledged the racist roots of blackface (via YouTube). "I didn't understand how hurtful this is to people who live with discrimination every single day," Trudeau confessed, per NPR. Surprisingly, the former PM also claimed that he could neither confirm nor deny the existence of additional photos of him with racially insensitive makeup since he could not remember when the existing controversial snaps were taken.

Justin Trudeau's 2018 visit to India was largely overshadowed by his strange outfit choices. Throughout his stay in the country, the Canadian Prime Minister, his now-ex-wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, and their three kids all donned traditional Indian clothing that many deemed way too over-the-top for the occasion. Even Indian politician Omar Abdullah took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his distaste, writing, "Is it just me or is this choreographed cuteness all just a bit much now? Also FYI we Indians don't dress like this every day sir, not even in Bollywood." 

Is it just me or is this choreographed cuteness all just a bit much now? Also FYI we Indians don't dress like this every day sir, not even in Bollywood. pic.twitter.com/xqAqfPnRoZ

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 21, 2018

Many social media commentators had a similar reaction when they saw a video of Trudeau doing the Bhangra, a traditional Indian folk dance. Several X users were left with no choice but to remind Trudeau that their lives weren't actually like a Bollywood movie. Similarly, one critic argued that the Canadian politician's trip to India seemed like it was one big audition for a Bollywood film. Unfortunately, the criticism from the trip wasn't enough to convince him to give up his antics. 

In 2022, the Canadian Prime Minister was criticized for his behavior just days before Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. Although Trudeau shared a solemn reaction to the queen's death, his words arguably lost their meaning once people watched a cringey video of him gamely singing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" when he visited London for her funeral. Later, a rep for Trudeau made things even more awkward by revealing that he was paying tribute to Her Majesty with his performance.