Gina Rodriguez 'N***a' is OKAY in Scripts Too ... Said it in Old Comedy Skit

Gina Rodriguez comfort level with using the n-word is on display in a resurfaced clip -- and while it's a scripted sketch, it supports the notion Gina, and others, feel like she gets a pass.

The video which is just now going viral, for obvious reasons, is from over 7 years ago ... and shows Gina in a scene with 2 black men. Speaking to them like a coach, she says, "You heard me, take a lap, n***a."

The scene is from a YouTube skit for "Northside Comedy," and was shot long before her career started taking off as the lead in "Jane the Virgin."

Some folks online are pissed at Gina because the clip -- now deleted from the 'Northside' YouTube page -- surfaced on the heels of her using the n-word while singing a Fugees song on social media.

She apologized twice for using the term while singing along to Lauryn Hill.

TMZ.com

TMZ broke the story ... Boyz II Men singer Shawn Stockman says he has no problem with Gina saying 'n***a' because her parents are Puerto Rican. Shawn says he considers Latinos to be black.

Gina herself has said her father identifies as Afro-Latino ... still, she's taking tons of flak online, and this newly-surfaced clip is adding fuel to that fire.

We reached out to Gina's camp for comment ... so far, no word back.

Click here for info about our online advertising practices.