Tom Hanks's son Chet accused of racism with his White Boy Summer merchandise

The rapper and actor has been criticised for the name, as well as use of a font similar to those favoured by white nationalists

Tom Hanks and his son Chet Hanks at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012. Photo by Michael Tran / FilmMagic

It’s not been a good week for Chet Hanks, the rapper, actor and son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

Earlier this week, he was accused of racism after he launched a collection of merchandise called White Boy Summer. Then on Tuesday, TMZ released a video showing the aftermath of an altercation between Hanks and his ex-girlfriend Kiana Parker from January, which left Hanks with a bloodied face.

What is White Boy Summer?

The controversy over his line of merchandise began after Hanks posted a video on his Instagram, saying he’s “just got a feeling this summer is about to be a white boy summer”.

“Take it how you want, I’m not talking about Trump, Nascar-type white. I’m talking about me, [rappers] Jon B, Jack Harlow-type white boys summer, you know what I mean? Let me know if you guys can vibe with that, and get ready. ‘Cause I am,” he posted on Instagram.

Hanks, who raps under the moniker Chet Haze, was quickly inundated with comments, many saying they couldn’t "vibe" with that proclamation.

“I’m sorry but somebody needs to tell Chet Hanks that ‘white boy summer’ sounds like the title of a Netflix documentary about mass shootings,” one user posted on Twitter.

“I just told my friend it sounds like the announcement of a Klan convention in July,” another added.

Two days later, Hanks clarified. “You know what’s not white boy summer… is having any ill will or prejudice towards anybody from a different background, race, walk of life than you,” he said in a video.

Then on Tuesday, he revealed the White Boy Summer merchandise. While the name was already problematic, Hanks's use of fonts for the collection got the internet even more riled up.

The collection, which includes hoodies, T-shirts, shorts and tank tops, uses a Gothic-style font that is close to the one used by white nationalists. It's also similar to the Fraktur fonts, which were used in Nazi Germany, most prominently on the cover of Hitler's Mein Kampf, according to The Guardian.

“Unfortunately the merch looks aggressively racist,” one Twitter user posted.

“If I see anybody wearing this, I am calling the police," another wrote.

Hanks, the third child of Tom and Rita, has been accused of racism in the past.

In 2015, he defended using the "N word" on social media because he believes it “unifies the culture of hip-hop across all races”.

“I do say the 'N word' in real life amongst my black friends who get me and can’t nobody tell me I can’t say what the [expletive] I feel like, no disrespect to the struggle of black people during the civil rights movement, but it’s 2015 now… get with the times,” he wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post.

In 2020, a video of him speaking in a Jamaican accent at the Golden Globes – where his father was honoured with the Cecil B DeMille Award – went viral and amassed more than 4.5 million views.

The violent January altercation, which TMZ posted about this week, also comes after a restraining order filed by his former girlfriend.

A Texas judge this week granted legal protections to Parker after she alleged Hanks was verbally and physically abusive, according to the Houston Chronicle.

TMZ reported Hanks has also filed a lawsuit against Parker over the incident captured in the video.

Hanks in 2015 also spoke about his time in rehab for cocaine addiction.

"As a parent, you love your kids unconditionally," his Oscar-winning father said of his son's addiction to Entertainment Tonight. "You support them every step of the way. You got to applaud the bravery and honesty when it actually comes out of your own house."