History Main / BlackBestFriend

'''Note:''' This is a black character whose role either A) [[{{Satellite Character}} revolves almost entirely]] around a white character or B) serves as a concious effort for a white character/writer to appear inclusive. Simply being black as well as friends with a white character does ''not'' automatically make a character this trope. A black character who's shown to be just as relevant as their white counterparts does not count. Black characters with [[{{Hero Of Another Story}} their own story]], their own distinguished identity and goals; characters who [[{{Character Development}} undergo personal growth]] shouldn't be listed. In addition, black people in {{Real Life}} should [[{{Unfortunate Implications}} definitely not be listed]]. Living beings do not exist in accordance to a another person based [[{{Double Standard}} on ethnicity]].

* This trope is referenced to and mocked in ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack''. When Taystee is thinking of new hairstyles that would help her appeal, one of the other girls recommends that she go the "Black Best Friend" route with her hair. They list off a few from recent movies such as Regina King in ''MissCongeniality'' and ''LegallyBlonde'', as well as Viola Davis in ''EatPrayLove''.

* ''Series/{{Community}}'': One thing that gets Pierce out of his suicidal funk is that he has "a young African-American friend"

-->--Comedian Kevin Hart on '''Series/SaturdayNightLive'''

* The team of Wrestling/{{Glacier}} and [[Characters/WCWInvasion Ernest "The Cat" Miller]] teamed together in Wrestling/{{WCW}} in 1997 in the Blood Runs Cold feud against [[Wrestling/{{Kanyon}} Mortis]] and [[Wrestling/AdamBomb Wrath]]. It is a {{Justified|Trope}} example, as both Glacier and Miller are martial artists and Miller was Glacier's ''only'' friend in WCW. Because Miller did not develop his LargeHam[=/=]SmallNameBigEgo "I'm the greatest" act until sometime after the team had dissolved, it was not a case of SaltAndPepper. In fact, one of the problems that hurt the feud's chances of getting over was that no one really displayed a personality that could transcend their gimmicks.

* ''NedsDeclassified'' has Simon [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname 'Cookie']] Cook, who is Ned's '''[[BlackAndNerdy nerdy]]''' black best friend. Should be noted that due to a desire to avoid [[WhiteDudeBlackDude common racial stereotypes]], a lot of kids' shows tend to have this geeky [[FamilyMatters Urkel]] type of black friend. Other examples include Tucker from DannyPhantom or AJ from FairlyOddParents.

** And of course in most animated shows, ''especially'' ones set in a school environment, the main character and his/her two best friends will make up a TokenTrio: the (white) protagonist, their platonic white friend of the opposite sex, and their black best pal of the same sex. The black friend is usually the smart one or the voice-of-reason character.
* Monique from ''KimPossible''. Also, Wade.

* ''DannyPhantom'' has this as part of a typical TokenTrio set-up; Tucker is a Techno-Geek, and they're all {{Cool Loser}}s.

* [[AlphaBitch Miranda]] on ''AsToldByGinger'' is Courtney's best friend. Miranda is extremely popular and generally very cool.
* AJ on ''TheFairlyOddparents'' is the black friend to both Timmy and Chester, though in a bit of a subversion he's probably the smartest and most level-headed of the three.

* The titular Jimmy of ''OutOfJimmysHead'' has a Black Best Friend.

* The ''HighSchoolMusical'' TV and big screen movies have Chad as Troy's BlackBestFriend and Taylor as Gabriella's.

* In the film ''Film/{{Chronicle}}'', Steve Montgomery is the BlackBestFriend of the two white protagonists who also develop superpowers. He's done a bit more justice than the typical BlackBestFriend, though - he's the most popular, sociable and outgoing member of the trio (and is suggested to be a positive influence on both of them), is a well-rounded character who doesn't exhibit any particularly stereotypical attitudes or behaviors, and the development of the friendship between the members of the trio is treated as a meaningful plot arc.

** Her friend also has an extremely thick, stereotypical "black" accent...and when Lily is talking to her, [[CrowningMomentOfFunny so does she]]. At one point, Lily leaves her friend alone with the main cast, and it turns out she doesn't normally have that accent either--they just bring out that side of each other.
* Deacon on ''TheKingOfQueens''.
* Satirized in ''TheLAComplex'' when Raquel goes out for the role of the protagonist's best friend in a new TV show and is told that they're looking for a BlackBestFriend.

* Malcolm's best friend in ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'' is Stevie, who is also BlackAndNerdy.

* Barb, from ''TheNewAdventuresOfOldChristine'' is this, and it's constantly [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Christine.
* One of Michael Scott's quirks from the US version of ''TheOffice'' is his bizarre belief, [[SelectiveObliviousness in the face of all evidence]], that sales rep Stanley Hudson is a stereotypical "sassy black mentor" and that Stanley is therefore one of his best friends from work (since Michael is, of course, the protagonist of his little pop-culture fantasy world). Michael has a magical ability to completely ignore all of Stanley's real personality traits while imagining him as a BlackBestFriend, imagining him as a wisecracking happy-go-lucky athletic "urban" man with working-class roots , when Stanley is in fact sedentary and out of shape, laconic to the point of catatonia, frequently depressed, raised in a small town and just as if not more solidly upper-middle-class as anyone else in the office.

* The titular Jimmy of ''OutOfJimmysHead'' has a BlackBestFriend.
* Gus on ''{{Psych}}'', though he exerts a lot of effort into ''not'' getting involved in Shawn's latest case. He's also probably a subversion, considering his general dorkiness, especially when compared to Shawn. What's his normal day-job when he's not helping Shawn solve crimes? He's a [[{{Salaryman}} pharmaceutical sales rep]].

* In a ''{{SNL}}'' sketch LouisCK stars as AbrahamLincoln in a parody of his show ''{{Louie}}''. He tries to make new black friends at a bar by mentioning how he emancipated them. It doesn't go well.

* Marcus in ''FoxTrot'' is both Jason's BlackBestFriend and BlackAndNerdy.
* Franklin in ''{{Peanuts}}'', although he's depicted as Shermy's best friend, rather than the protagonist Charlie Brown's.

* Possibly parodied with ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', where Billy's BlackBestFriend Irwin ''tries'' to be cool, but is a complete and almost hopeless dweeb with an obsessive crush on Mandy.

* General Lando Calrissian, played by Billy Dee Williams, who manages to ooze almost as much charm and charisma as his old pal Han Solo himself. In RealLife, Williams had been considered for the role of Solo and he and Creator/HarrisonFord (at least at the time) were actually best friends.

* Bo Peep to Snow White From ''HappilyNEverAfter 2''. Also, Little Red Riding Hood seems to be Snow White's Arab Best Friend, complete with headscarf-esque hood.

'''Note:''' This is a black character whose role either A) [[{{Satellite Character}} revolves almost entirely]] around a white character or B) serves as a concious effort for a white character/writer to appear inclusive. Simply being black as well as friends with a white character does ''not'' automatically make a character this trope. A black character who's shown to be just as relevant as their white counterparts does not count. Black characters with their own [[{{Hero Of Another Story}} their own story]], their own distinguished identity and goals; characters who [[{{Character Development}} undergo personal growth]] shouldn't be listed. In addition, black people in {{Real Life}} should [[{{Unfortunate Implications}} definitely not be listed]]. Living beings do not exist in accordance to a another person based [[{{Double Standard}} on ethnicity]].

** As revealed by artist/writer JohnByrne on his message board: It was the habit in the [Marvel] Office to refer to CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON as [[http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/showthread.php?34790-John-Byrne-Describes-Marvel-s-Casual-Racism-In-The-Seventies Captain America and the Fowl Coon]].

* Nakili Abuto in the ''PurpleMoon'' [[TheVerse verse]] hits every note of this, save for not being ''your'' best friend -- instead, she's part of a social clique that the player character wants to join. You know, girl?

Your black best friend is [[SassyBlackWoman sassy]]. She's never too busy to lend an ear, or come along on your [[ZanyScheme wacky schemes]]. She is [[PositiveDiscrimination flawless to the point of being unreal.]] (Unless there's the occasional situation of either having a problem with her race or her relationship with you.) Is it because she has [[ParentalAbandonment no love life, no apartment, and no family]]? It's hard to say, but there's one thing for sure. She has a cell phone, and never ignores your calls.

* [[SweetBroAndHellaJeff intoducing, the new friend................]] [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/sweetbroandhellajeff/?cid=007.jpg GEROMY]]

* GoodLuckCharlie has two; Emmett is PJ's black best friend, and Ivy is Teddy's. However, they are both fairly well-rounded characters, and we get to meet Ivy's parents a few times; they are pretty much {{RecurringCharacter}}s.

** Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas as well, with Seamus being Irish and Dean being black.

* ''{{Theatrica}}'': Vivian

** [[spoiler: though he _is_ the first to die. Besides, he hasn't got any sex life, so he tried to help the one who went berserk. he was killed for that, during which time the other white protagonist was too busy with his girlfriend to pay attention. I mean, look at the cast: white guy: main guy, who turns berserk and tries to kill everybody; black guy: the one who made us understand the main guy had something wrong with him, made him understand he could kill, and maybe grew his inferiority complex some more; second white guy: gets to save everybody in the end.]]

* [[LukeCageHeroForHire Power Man]] and IronFist.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* A parody website called [[http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/ Black People Love Us]]. It goes on about how "well-liked [they are] by Black people," and hangin' out with their black friends.

* The recent [[http://www.racialicious.com/2009/10/16/im-not-a-racist-says-pastor-who-refuses-to-marry-interracial-couples/ case]] of a justice of the peace in Louisiana who refuses to perform interracial marriages (out of concern, he says, that [[BarackObama mixed-race children have no real place in society]]). His justification has to be read to be believed:
-->"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, '''they use my bathroom'''. I treat them just like everyone else."
* Chris Rock makes fun of this in one of his standups when he says "All my black friends have a bunch of white friends, and all my white friends have one black friend!"

*** "A white friend could be the difference between a ticket--" [black driver is handed a ticket as white friend watches sympathetically; arrow caption says "Ticket"] "--and a bullet in the ass." [black driver is forced to the ground and a pistol is pointed at his cranium; arrow caption says "Not A Ticket"]
* there has also been a dutch comedian (can't recall which) who went by things a little bit differently
-->''No,no,no,no, you misunderstand. Some of my best blacks are friends!''
* There is a legend of Yasuke, an african, or possible African-italian slave who became a retainer, body guard and close friend of the warlord Oda Nobunaga. Talk about black best friend when you are so black your skin is described as the color of an Ox

* ''NedsDeclassified'' has Simon [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname 'Cookie']] Cook, who is Ned's '''nerdy''' black best friend. Should be noted that a lot of kids' shows tend to have this geeky [[FamilyMatters Urkel]] type of black friend. Other examples include Tucker from DannyPhantom or AJ from FairlyOddParents.

* Monique from ''KimPossible''.