Verified source report

John McWhorter on controversy and reconstructing Fats Waller's "Early to Bed"

New York Times columnist, bestselling author, linguist and Columbia University professor John McWhorter doesn't shy away from controversy. He talks with Mo Rocca about his book, "Losing the Race: Self-Sabatoge in Black America," published in 2000, along with one of his latest projects, reconstructing the long-forgotten 1940s hit Broadway musical "Early to Bed" with music by jazz legend Fats Waller, and why he feels good about how people perceive him now.

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What happened

According to CBS News’s source item, John McWhorter on controversy and reconstructing Fats Waller’s “Early to Bed”, New York Times columnist, bestselling author, linguist and Columbia University professor John McWhorter doesn’t shy away from controversy. He talks with Mo Rocca about his book, “Losing the Race: Self-Sabatoge in Black America,” published in 2000, along with one of his latest projects, reconstructing the long-forgotten 1940s hit Broadway musical “Early to Bed” with music by jazz legend Fats Waller, and why he feels good about how people perceive him now.

Context

The development sits in VINI’s News file for readers following public-interest developments across VINI coverage areas. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-24T16:13:00+00:00.

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Source

Primary source: John McWhorter on controversy and reconstructing Fats Waller’s “Early to Bed” via CBS News. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.

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