'They wished I was dead': Illustrator who was slammed for his racist cartoon of Serena Williams was in fear for his life during the backlash
- Australian cartoonist published racist drawing about tennis star Serena Williams
- In the three months since he published it, he and his family have been scarred
- Mark Knight was branded a 'white supremacist', 'sexist', 'racist', and 'misogynist'
- He said the cartoon was 'about poor behaviour' and 'had nothing to do with 'race'
- 'They wished I was dead, there were threats, aggressive horrible stuff,' he said
- Among the many critics who slammed the cartoon was author J.K. Rowling
The Australian cartoonist who was on the receiving end of worldwide condemnation for his racist depiction of tennis star Serena Williams said he received death threats after the drawing was published.
Cartoonist Mark Knight was called a 'white supremacist' and 'c**ksucker of the day' after his cartoon featuring Serena Williams at the US Open was published in the Herald Sun newspaper in September.
Knight defended himself by saying he simply made the drawing after he witnessed 'the world's greatest tennis player spit the dummy'.
The Australian cartoonist who received global backlash for his racist depiction of tennis star Serena Williams having a tantrum during the US Open has finally spoken out
In the three months since Herald Sun editorial cartoonist Mark Knight (pictured) published the controversial caricature, both he and has family have been continuously terrorised
In the illustration, Williams is shown with an enlarged lips and nose, and her cheekbones have been emphasised
The artist initially thought the mess would blow over, but for weeks both he and his family were brutally terrorised.
'They traced my wife and children through Facebook. Our son's a pilot. There were messages that said, "I hope your son's plane crashes into your house and kills you all",' Knight told The Australian.
'They wished I was dead, there were threats, aggressive horrible stuff against the kids, like 'We hope someone gets you, gets your family'. I was a 'racist a**hole'. I work in the media, I know what to expect, but my family doesn't and it hit them really hard.'
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The abuse was so bad, Knight had to organise for security guards to stand around his property for a week.
The cartoon was in the publication's Monday paper for more than 12 hours without anyone taking notice, but Knight then chose to post it to Twitter.
Once the cartoon was in front of a global audience, it wasn't long until the artist began to be attacked.
The cartoon depicts Williams, 36, as a baby having a tantrum on the court.
Kathy Griffin branded him a 'racist piece of s***' and said: 'Just change your name to KKK cartoons.
Amid online criticism from the likes of author J.K. Rowling and rapper Nicki Minaj who branded him 'c***sucker of the day', he was also branded a 'white supremacist', 'sexist', 'racist', and 'misogynist'
In the illustration, Williams is shown with an enlarged lips and nose, and her cheekbones have been emphasised. A dummy lies next to her feet and she is shown jumping in the air, her fists clenched in frustration like a petulant child.
In the background is Naomi Osaka, the 20-year-old Haitian-Japanese athlete who won the match.
She is depicted as slender, white and blonde, looking up hopefully towards umpire Carlos Ramos.
The cartoon was slammed by critics around the world who compared the image to a Jim Crow-era representation of black women.
Author J.K. Rowling and rapper Nicki Minaj were among those who criticised Knight, while America's National Association of Black Journalists said the illustration was 'unnecessarily sambo-like'.
The cartoon was compared to the 'slavery era' and many noted how Williams resembled a gorilla.
The cartoon was in the publication's Monday paper for more than 12 hours without anyone taking notice, but Knight then chose to post it to Twitter
The artist initially thought the mess would blow over, but for weeks both he and his family were brutally terrorised
'It was as if the poison had come down the driveway, inside our front door and into our house, and one of the things I've always prided myself on is leaving work to one side to live a normal family life,' Knight said.
Among the most appalled critics was J.K. Rowling.
She tweeted: 'Well done on reducing one of the greatest sportswomen alive to racist and sexist tropes and turning a second great sportswoman into a faceless prop.'
Kathy Griffin branded him a 'racist piece of s***' and said: 'Just change your name to KKK cartoons.'
Rapper Nicki Minaj, on her Queen Radio show, awarded Knight her 'C**ksucker Of The Day Award'.
Others deemed it 'disgustingly racist', 'truly vile' and 'an insult to both women'.
'In 100 years time this cartoon will be viewed no differently than old images of Jim Crow, or the newspaper cartoons drawn of Jack Johnson. Mark Knight has just drawn his way into the history books,' said one critic.
Others deemed it 'disgustingly racist', 'truly vile' and 'an insult to both women'
The cartoon was compared to the 'slavery era' and many noted how Williams resembled a gorilla
