Raven Symone: 'I'm Not an African American'

Raven-Symone issued a mouthful of controversial statements at the "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" TV show which the host said could very well light social media on fire.

"I don't want to be labeled 'gay.' I want to be labeled a 'human who loves humans.' I'm tired of being labeled. I'm an American. I'm not an African-American. I'm an American," said Raven during her interview with Oprah reports E! Online.

The statements actually caught Oprah by surprise and nearly floored the show host who managed to quip: "Oh girl! Don't set up Twitter on fire. Oh my Lord! What did you just say?"

The 27-year-old former child star became famous for the cult TV shows "The Cosby Show" and "That's So Raven."

She agreed to an interview with Oprah in an effort to sort and straighten misconceptions about her when that fit of tactless moments came out of her, said E! Online.

Raven's "I'm not an African-American" statement came off as a racist remark which Oprah responded to with a warning: "You're going to get a lot of flak for saying you're not African American. You know that, right?"

To which, the "College Road Trip" star made a good effort to redeem herself by saying another mouthful: "I don't label myself. I have darker skin. I have a nice, interesting grade of hair. I connect with Caucasian. I connect with Asian. I connect with Black. I connect with Indian. I connect with each culture."

Before her indiscreet comment, Raven clarified to Oprah that: "I don't know where my roots go to. I don't know how far back they go. I don't know what country in Africa I'm from but I do know my roots are in Louisiana. I'm an American. And that's a colorless person."

Oprah also talked about her sexuality in the show.

When the American Supreme Court ruled against the ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional in August 2013, Raven tweeted: "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you!"

Asked by the host about her sexuality, Raven confirmed to Oprah that indeed, she's gay, as noted in Time. And that she is currently in a happy relationship with a woman.

"People in my family, they've taught me to keep my personal life to myself as much as possible. So, I try best to hold the fence where I can. But I am proud to be who I am and what I am," Raven said in the interview and quoted by E! Online.

"Tempting as it is to want Raven-Symone to grow out of her obvious discomfort with labels, she' sending a message by the sheer fact of acknowledging her relationship in public even if the squeamishness and fear embedded in that message makes it ambiguous," Time opined.

"Her speaking about her relationship is a good first step. Here's hoping it's the first of several," added the Time commentary.

Watch Oprah's interview with Raven: