Crissle West

Crystal Rene Townsend is an internet and social media personality better known as Crissle West, or more often simply Crissle. West hosts a weekly podcast called The Read which began in 2013, and while she had social media presence prior to starting the podcast, it is certainly the endeavor that launched her entertainment career.
Personal life
West is a black lesbian originally from Oklahoma but moved to New York in 2012 before beginning The Read with Kid Fury whom she met through Twitter. Much of what she discusses on The Read pertains to the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. During the question and answer section of "Funny or Racist" a white man who identified himself as a discrimination lawyer questioned West's reasoning behind thinking that Sarah Silverman is racist because she did blackface on her TV show. Crissle's response, which addressed the racism displayed by both Silverman for doing blackface and the man for telling a black woman what is and is not racist, was widely circulated on the internet. West has also traveled around the US and to London doing live versions of The Read, the recordings of which can then be heard online as episodes of the podcast. West has stated that she finds it strange having people recognize her in public or write her to say how much they love her, and that in fact she would most enjoy a career where she can be writer who is unrecognizable on the street.<ref name=":0" />

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