Winston Duke's mother is defending him against critics who were upset that he didn't correct Kelly Ripa's pronunciation of Tobago.

Duke, who portrayed M'Baku in the record-breaking Black Panther movie, appeared on the Live with Kelly and Ryan show. Ripa kept pronouncing Tobago as "Tobahgo" but Duke never took the opportunity to correct her.

Cora Pantin, Duke's mother, in one of her Facebook Live videos, rushed to her son's defence.

She said when a decision was made to send actors out to promote the movie, Duke wasn't among those selected.

"It may seem like if everything was over but there came our God Jehovah and said I am going to singlehandedly send this young man out not only to speak of the movie but to promote his country, to speak of Trinidad and Tobago to sell Trinidad and Tobago to the world, to speak of our talent," she said.

"But here we are as a people of Trinidad and Tobago making noise about Kelly Ripa and what she had to say," she said, noting that all over the world people pronounce Tobago the way Ripa did.

"What are we doing as a people, why are we always adapting such trifling arguments? Why should he correct her? And then this morning you will hear Winston have no manners, that is not how he was trained," she said, noting that if he insulted Ripa he would lose the chance to get other interviews.

The outspoken Pantin asked why people are getting distracted instead of realising that Tobago is getting the attention it needs.

"He's there speaking about his country, they are asking about his country. Everbody is questioning my son, think about it," she said.