February 17, 2026
Black Men’s Roundtable Gets Heated After Clifton Powell’s Love Admission
The actor sparked tension during a Black men’s roundtable after being challenged over his admission that he didn’t learn how to love until a woman taught him in his 60s.
Tensions flared during a Black men’s roundtable when actor Clifton Powell was confronted by a speaker who criticized him and other elders for using age as a shield against accountability.
The veteran actor, best known for his role in the Friday film franchise, recently joined a roundtable hosted by SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and The Conscious Lee, where actors, activists, and creatives discussed Black men’s role in reproductive justice and building healthier relationships with Black women.
During the conversation, Powell reflected on his personal journey with love, accountability, and emotional growth, admitting he didn’t learn how to truly love until his 60s.
“I’ve just learned how to love,” he shared. “I’m 69, about to be 70, and I’ve just learned.”
Powell said his admission stems from inherited trauma within Black families, describing it not as regret but as a moment of clarity shaped by generational wounds and lived experience.
“Our parents didn’t know how to love. Their parents didn’t know how to love,” he said, highlighting the long-term effects of “450 years of post-slavery PTSD.”
Powell said his current partner has played a major role in his personal growth, pushing him to confront his behavior and evolve.
“When you hurt somebody, where you leave them is where they stay,” Powell said.
Fellow panelist Joseph Irvin revisited Powell’s comments, using the moment to highlight what he sees as a broader lack of accountability among some older generations when it comes to owning their actions and the trauma passed down to younger family members.
“Some people have talked about, like, you know, going to counseling, have that upon yourself. Stop waiting for a woman to tell you what you need to do,” Irvin said in a clip shared online.
Powell fired back at Irvin. “You can’t tell me what the f-ck I’m living…I’m living it right now. You cannot fix no sh-t that you don’t even know what’s happening,” Powell shouted..
He continued, “You can’t fix no sh-t unless you meet somebody who help is on another level to help you elevate your understanding. I’m not indicting anybody. I’m telling you what the sh-t is. If you can’t fix some sh-t that you don’t know about, bro, you can’t. And then you get there at 69 or 70 and say, ‘I thought I was being loved’ and all this stuff. That’s what our parents have gone through, and that’s why we all so f-ck-d up right now.”
The tense exchange has ignited online debate, with some interpreting Powell’s reaction as a reflection of the very pain, anger, and trauma being discussed, and others defending him.
“It’s true. That’s why he spazzed. Why you damn need 70 yrs old just now ‘learning how to love’? Old asf and now you finally want to do right by a woman is sickening,” one X user wrote.
Another user defended Powell, saying the only reason he became upset is that “buddy was being disrespectful by not letting him talk.”
“We can’t get to a place where start disrespecting elders. Can’t speak for how other cultures do things, but there’s a way to communicate with elders, and that wasn’t it,” added someone else.
“I disagree. Older people rarely ever take accountability because they typically dealt with the same trauma they’re bring on someone else. Generational trauma,” one X user wrote.
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