- "Hey! File sharing is a crime, and I'm not gonna be anally raped so you can listen to Usher!"
- —Tom DuBois to his wife, Sarah
Thomas Lancaster "Tom" DuBois is one of the two tritagonists (alongside Jazmine DuBois) of The Boondocks.
He is a mild-mannered black lawyer, with a white wife named Sarah and biracial daughter named Jazmine. He was an assistant district attorney before becoming a defense attorney, and is a close friend of Robert Freeman.
History & Personality[]
DuBois as a teen.
Tom is portrayed as a loving family man, who is very close to his wife and daughter Jazmine. Tom's hobbies include singing and playing the piano, and he once dreamed of becoming a successful recording artist, though his wife and friends detest his singing.
He also played basketball on his Ivy League college team, at Princeton University but, as Sarah points out, he was mostly a bench warmer. His most notable moment on the team was taking a charge from Chris Webber to defeat the University of Michigan and the Fab Five, but is known in infamy as the "Giddy Up, Ride 'Em Cowboy Dunk." His failures as a player along with the influence of The Mighty Ducks film leads him to coach a Woodcrest youth basketball team, though in two years they have failed to produce a win. He is depicted as somewhat of a goober and a wet blanket in social situations, since he seems unable to truly lighten up.
Tom's political ideologies are more towards American liberalism and as a result he is a Democrat. An example of Tom's political ideologies the fact that he is generally open minded. As a consequence of his inability to light up regarding social situations, however, he tends to generally be subconsciously prejudiced, even in spite of his conscious open-mindedness.
He and his wife are active members of the NAACP and believe they have a strong understanding of the struggles of African-Americans. This leads them to be strong supporters of the Obama Presidential Campaign. However, his actions and lifestyle are often portrayed in direct contrast of the black community, such as his fictionalized role as prosecutor in "The Trial of R. Kelly." His is also temporarily convinced by Uncle Ruckus in The Passion of Reverend Ruckus that he is a self-hating Black man, recalling several Black figures (including P. Diddy, Kobe Bryant, and Usher) that he can not stand.
Tom, being non-confrontational and skittish by nature, adheres strictly to the law, particularly due to his irrational fear of being sent to prison and anally raped as explained in the episode "A Date With The Health Inspector". This fear originated when Tom was exposed at a very young age to a TV series depicting a violent prison rape. The fear developed to such a degree that Tom refused to participate in even the slightest of legal infractions (even those that are not punishable by a prison sentence) as a youth and throughout adulthood, and is a reoccurring theme throughout his appearances in the anime. He eventually confronts his fears in "A Date With the Booty Warrior" with the hopes of becoming a defense attorney.
Relationships[]
Sarah DuBois[]
Sarah is Tom's attractive white wife, with whom he has a daughter, Jazmine. Their relationship is often portrayed as boring, Sarah being dissatisfied with Tom's dull and cowardly personality and Tom finding Sarah usually insufferable. This leads her to be obsessed with famous Black musicians, such as Usher and Pretty Boy Flizzy, as well as U.S. president Barack Obama. In spite of their complicated sex life, their marriage is generally loving and stable. After the events of the episode Pretty Boy Flizzy, even their sex life seems to have improved, as Tom put on a show of dominance in front of Sarah with the covert help of Flizzy, which greatly amazed and aroused her.
Jazmine DuBois[]
Tom enjoys a close and loving relationship with his daughter, although he shelters Jazmine quite a bit. Jazmine loves her father dearly, as she panics whenever he appears to be in any trouble. In "A Date with the Health Inspector", when Tom is just a bit late coming home, she jumps to the conclusion that he must've been kidnapped and held ransom by terrorists thanks to post-9/11 paranoia being perpetuated by the news. In "The Fried Chicken Flu", she begs Huey to let him and her mother into the house despite already overextending Huey's 3-person plan herself. That all said, she seems to worship certain celebrities to the point where she's willing to throw her father under the bus. In "Tom, Sarah and Usher", when Sarah kicks Tom out of the house, Jazmine doesn't seem to phased by the possibility that her parents will divorce, at least if it means that Usher will become her stepfather. When Usher and his guards beat up Tom for slapping him, she's more concerned with the fact that Usher was harmed than her father being harmed, much, much worse. However, this trait of her's is depicted through the more humourous side of the series, and might not be consistent character development, especially since it is never depicted within the remainder of the series, and since it contrasts greatly with Jazmine's standard nativity, sweetness, and attachment to her father.
Huey Freeman[]
Huey respects Tom on an intellectual level, but is more proactive and confrontational in his approach to the Black struggle, and generally questions to what degree the NAACP helps African-Americans. Furthermore, Huey views Tom as part of the white power structure that he detests (i.e., part of the "system"), due to his wealth and stringent adherence to the legal system that puts many Black people into prison on exaggerated charges. When Tom is in need and his grandfather and brother refuse to assist, Huey is often the one to give in and help him, though he is usually reluctant and his advice is often blunt. Huey, ironically, often is the one to give Tom legal advice.
In "The Trial of R. Kelly", Huey agrees with Tom's decision to prosecute R. Kelly, though he does express disappointment that Tom couldn't defeat Riley in a debate on the immorality of Kelly's crime, despite the very childish counter-arguments Riley gave. Later, when Tom rests his case, Huey takes the opportunity to call out the jury for their ignorance.
In "Granddad's Fight", Huey makes Tom act as a sparring buddy for Robert, blindfolding him to simulate what he thinks is Stinkmeaner's advanced senses to compensate for his blindness. This earns Tom a beatdown with a staff. Later, when the rematch with Stinkmeaner is on, both Huey and Tom discourage Robert from fighting. Robert ends up killing Stinkmeaner and is promptly arrested, but thanks to some keen foresight, Huey and Tom got a boxing license for the fight in advance, clearing Robert of the charges.
In "A Date With the Health Inspector", Tom calls the Freemans and when Riley answers, he asks for Huey specifically, instead of an adult like Robert. Huey hears Tom out and tells him quite bluntly that he will get raped in jail. Tom begs Huey to find the killer in the time he has left, which Huey finds ridiculous considering his age and resources, but obliges him when Tom pleads further. When on the case, Huey is dedicated to finding the Xbox Killer and is annoyed by Ed and Rummy's negligent, self-destructive vigilantism.
In "Tom, Sarah, and Usher", Huey offers Riley some more moderate words to describe Tom being "bitched" by Usher. When Tom moves into the guest room, before shutting the door, he tells Tom that statistically, black male/white female marriages tend to fail anyway. He later tells Tom that it would've been worse if Sarah were swayed by someone like Omarion.
In "Stinkmeaner Strikes Back", Huey recognizes that Tom is possessed by Stinkmeaner when Robert and Riley are convinced that it's just Tom having some sort of psychotic break. Ghostface Killah talks Huey into finding a way to stop Ruckus' "exorcism" before he, Robert, and Riley end up beating Tom to death.
In "Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch", Huey emails Tom telling him to stop by the house and check on them, as there was a very likely chance Luna would come back and try to harm them. Tom, for whatever reason, reads this letter out loud to Luna, leading to him becoming yet another hostage.
In "Home Alone", Tom keeps stopping by the Freeman residence, looking for Robert to go on their "Do It Big" trip to Costa Rica. As the days go by, Tom figures out that Robert ditched him, especially with Huey's unconvincing lie that his granddad is simply doing errands.
In "The Red Ball", Huey recruits Tom for the Woodcrest kickball team, though this was likely simple desperation rather than any faith in Tom and his athletic abilities.
In "The Fried Chicken Flu", Tom dismisses Huey doomsday prepping and reassures Jazmine that everything will be okay. For that, Huey proclaims that Tom "made his choice" and brings Jazmine on-board for his plan. When Jazmine later asks about what'll happen to her parents, Huey casually states that there's nothing they could do for them, as he made his plan for three people, and was already stretching it to fit Jazmine in. Later, when Tom and Sarah request sanctuary in the Freeman residence, Huey tries to turn them away but relents so Jazmine can stop crying.
Riley Freeman[]
Riley's interactions with Tom are few and far-between. Huey usually shows Tom respect as an elder, while Riley, as with most adults he encounters, does not, and this leaves him prone to clash with Tom as he often clashes with his own grandfather.
In "The Trial of R. Kelly", Riley challenges Tom's conviction of R. Kelly, not seeing the point Tom makes about who Kelly engaged in sexual relations with and instead focuses on the sexual act committed, that being urinating on someone, seeing Tom's prosecution as a ban on all urination, and the age of the minor, seeing her as too old to be considered too naive to exercise proper judgement.
In "A Date With the Health Inspector", he ridicules Tom's plight in jail by telling him not to drop the soap. This incident is brought up again in "Riley Wuz Here" where Riley once again mocks Tom for his fear of anal rape.
In "Tom, Sarah, and Usher", Riley mocks Tom for being emasculated by Usher, up to outright calling him a "bitch" for not asserting himself and making a point about Usher being younger and "softer" than him, being an R&B singer.
In "Ballin'", Tom shows a genuine respect for Riley's talents and tries encouraging him to train and play with a team more, even if it's mostly to get his "miracle moment", a la The Mighty Ducks. When Riley finally scores a basket, he pops off by tearfully thanking Tom for believing in him. When it seems like the Ball-A-Holics finally have the Tigers beat, Tom tearfully states that he always believed in him, causing Riley to thank him, tearing up a bit himself.
In "The S-Word", Riley mocks Tom for not taking being fired by Robert very well by claiming that "he'll cry when he gets home".
In "A Date with the Booty Warrior", Riley looks out for Tom by offering to make him a shank before they enter the prison, as he brought another toothbrush. When Tom confiscates it, he worriedly blames Tom preemptively in case something goes wrong. When things inevitably do go wrong and Tom abandoned the children, Riley is not pleased. By the time Tom rescues Huey and Riley, they have already been let go by the prisoners. Riley takes the time to insult Tom some more for abandoning them.
In "The Fried Chicken Flu", Riley doesn't mind leaving Tom and Sarah to fend for themselves outside if it means he gets to hoard their supplies, even outright telling Jazmine that they'll die. He was also willing to withhold the Wendy's Leonard brought from him and Sarah, asserting that it's "for us".
Robert Freeman[]
Robert and Tom seem to be good friends and are often seen hanging out, though Robert does not always hold the deepest respect for Tom, citing his lack of masculinity and reputation as a social buzzkill. Tom, however, trusts Robert and often turns to him when trouble befalls him, much to Robert's dismay. However, It can be agreed upon that Tom is probably Robert's most trustworthy friend. Tom on the other hand may not be the most loyal, since he gleefully abandoned the Freemans in Freedomland, probably due to the neglect, emotional mistreatment and apathy he received from them, but more likely to highlight his status as an "Uncle Tom" and a sellout. These issues are brought to a head in "Pretty Boy Flizzy", where Tom ended up kicked out of the house again and was denied sanctuary at the Freeman residence, something he cites when they selfishly try to worm their way into a dinner hosted by the singer at the DuBois household with deep embitterment.
Uncle Ruckus[]
Much like Robert, Tom and Ruckus have an odd friendship due to Ruckus' pathological disdain of Black people. Ruckus seems to hold more respect for Tom than other Black people, due to his lighter skin color, occupation and education, and most importantly his white wife. Tom treats Ruckus as respectfully as he does most other people, but doesn't entertain his racism, dismissing Ruckus' comments in a polite, matter-of-fact way. Uncle Ruckus and Tom are two sides of an "Uncle Tom", hence the names. Ruckus represents the more malicious, self-hating black people who use their own kind as scapegoats and willingly uphold white supremacist values while Tom represents black people who are "raised white" culturally but don't hold any negative views on black people at large, though their lack of experience with their own kind leads to them being ostracized and ridiculed for being dorky and "acting white". This causes some latent resentment towards certain black people, such as the celebrities Sarah adores, which leads to Tom being almost completely brainwashed by Ruckus' racist teachings in "The Passion of Reverend Ruckus".
Trivia[]
- His zodiac sign is a Pisces.
- He was also temporarily possessed by the spirit of Colonel H. Stinkmeaner in the episode Stinkmeaner Strikes Back.
- Tom's usual outfit consisting of a blue suit with a red tie resembles Phoenix Wright's from the Ace Attorney series.
- He also resembles the U.S president Barack Obama in both appearance and character, which was acknowledged in "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman".
- He may be named after W.E.B. DuBois.
- In earlier seasons, Tom's car resembled a BMW of some sorts, while in the final season his car is a Nissan Leaf.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- "The Trial of R. Kelly" (debut appearance)
- "Granddad's Fight"
- "A Date with the Health Inspector"
- "The Real"
- "Return of the King"
- "The Itis"
- "Riley Wuz Here"
- "The Block Is Hot"
- "The Passion of Reverend Ruckus"
- "Tom, Sarah and Usher"
- "Thank You for Not Snitching"
- "Stinkmeaner Strikes Back"
- "The Story of Thugnificent"
- "Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch"
- "Ballin'"
- "Invasion of the Katrinians"
- "Home Alone"
- "The S-Word"
- "The Story of Gangstalicious Part 2"
- "The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show"
- "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman"
- "The Red Ball"
- "Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy"
- "The Fundraiser"
- "Pause"
- "A Date with the Booty Warrior"
- "The Story of Lando Freeman"
- "The Lovely Ebony Brown"
- "Mr. Medicinal"
- "The Fried Chicken Flu"
- "Pretty Boy Flizzy"
- "Good Times" (silent cameo)
- "Breaking Granddad"
- Early Bird Special
- "Freedomland"
- "I Dream of Siri"
- "Stinkmeaner: Begun the Clone War Has"
- "The New Black" (final appearance)