This year's Jerry Lewis Telethon set a new record, raising $63.7 million dollars for the MDA. However, this achievement was overshadowed by an incident involving the longtime host of the event. During the 18th hour of the annual Labor Day telethon, comedian Jerry Lewis uttered an anti-gay slur... the same one that earned Isaiah Washington his walking papers (wrongfully in my opinion) from ABC's "Grey's Anatomy". While joking around with one of his cameraman, the 81-year old Lewis went into a monologue about imaginary family members:"Oh, your family has come to see you," he said, speaking to the camera and gesturing toward thin air.
"You remember Bart, your older son," he said, and motioning toward another unseen character, "Jesse, the illiterate f-----.
"No," Lewis said, quickly stopping himself before continuing.
I guess he realized that he wasn't at The Sands and the year is 2007... not 1957.The president of GLAAD (Neil Giuliano) issued a statement on Tuesday in which he said that Lewis' remarks were "simply unacceptable". Lewis in turn issued an apology on the same day, explaining that he was making a joke to a member of his production team. Lewis went on to say the following:
"I apologize to anyone who was offended. Everyone who knows me understands that I hold no prejudices in this regard. In the family atmosphere of the telethon, I forget that not everyone knows me that well.
"That something like this would distract from the true purpose of the telethon pains me deeply. ... I accept responsibility for what I said. There are no excuses," he said.
After reading various message boards, I found that the reactions regarding Lewis' remarks have been mixed. Do I think he should be fired? No I don't. He said something stupid, got called out for it, and apologized. It'll be interesting to see if there is any additional fallout from this incident.
11 comments:
I agree with you about Jerry Lewis and Isaiah Washington. Sometimes people let offensive words slip out but have not malice behind them. If they intent behind the words is not hateful, and the person apologizes, its a minor incident. When people go out of their way to USE offensive words to put people down in a way that is obviously full of discrimination or hate - that's inexcusable.
I have never liked Lewis. Ever. But, while it was a tacky thing to say even if he was joking, I don't think he should be let go from hosting.
The president of GLAAD (Neil Giuliano)is the one who's really offensive in my opinion. What has GLADD ever done for the "non-gay" world? A bit of self centerednes there eh?
So what, so Jerry used what you call "the f*** word". Big deal. In your face gays are very offensive, as are in your face anything else people. Get over yourself. Noone really cares what others call you. The mere fact that you are offended by use of the word puts more shame on you than any name calling or label ever can. Performers from Jerry's era such as Buddy Hackett, Don Rickles and a LOT of other Vegas act "rat-Pack era" performers use language and labels often as part of their act. Now days, Don Rickles spends half of his show apologising if he's offended anyone. He was unquestionably one of the funniest Vegas comedians of all time. He explains that you have to be able to laugh at yourself. If you're one of those
people who think that everyone has to take YOU and WHAT you are seriously all the time then you're in for a LIFETIME of dissapointment. Too bad cause you could have spent your life laughing and having fun. Everyone has things about them that make them "unique" or "different". Laughter is a medicine. The more angry Neil Giuliano becauses the funnier he becomes to others. Jerry is NOT an evil or mean hearted person. He IS an entertainer in constant pursuit of laughter. Yes he can 'seem' to have a rough exterior, but when life has broken you down - no matter who or "WHAT" you are - Jerry is the kind of person who is the first one to step forward with a kleenex and a sympathetic ear. In addition he has a unique ability to tap into peoples emotional sides. Unfortunately, this CAN be a messy can of worms, hence all the loud mouthed "Jerry haters". These people are very screwed up on a very deep down emotional level. Jerry was obviously able to "stir" their emotional sides but not to effect them so they take out their inner frusterations on him. The man has spent the better part of life trying to help others and, contrary to popular opinion, does not get paid for the telethon. If anyone can watch the telethon without being moved emotionally, then they are made of stone and are to be treated as an inanimate heartless object from then on. The thought of someone "firing" him is really funny because noone has "hired" him in the first place as he donates his work to MDA for FREE.
First of all there is no telethon without Jerry Lewis. He has hosted this show since I was a small child and I don’t see that changing until he is no longer able to perform his duties. His name is synonymous with Muscular Dystrophy. People make stupid comments all the time, but not publicly like Mr. Lewis and Mr. Washington. His comments were probably made jokingly; while we all know Mr. Washington lashed out in anger. I know I have made remarks and comments that I have regretted right away, but couldn’t take them back; you can only apologize and move on with the anticipation of making amends. My hope that celebrities will take heed and remember that they are not making small talk in their living rooms with friends and family, but in fact they are being watched at all times. Wasn’t it Tupac who said, “All Eyes Are On Me”? Celebrities need to take that statement literally.
Yeah. I think Jerry Lewis made a mistake. He realized what he said right away and apologized. So doesn't that count for something? The guy is also 81 and has suffered with different medical issues of his own. Obviously, what he said was wrong, but come on! He's raised billions of dollars for Muscular Dystrophy. As a parent of a child with a major medical condition, I tend to lean on Jerry's side, for "Jerry's Kids." If he hadn't even noticed the slur, or joked about it afterwards, it would be a different story. He's not perfect, but he's not a bad dude.
I think an apology says enough. Jerry Lewis realized he made a mistake, and didn't wait to apologize. Let the story die.
Since GLAAD has accepted Jerry's apology, this should be the end of it. The original "Nutty Professor" had an extra helping of nuts and made a joke that maybe he shouldn't have made. This wasn't the 1st time that Jerry said something controversial (remember the comments he made in 2000 about female comedians?) and it probably won't be the last.
Reading some of the comments on the ABC News message board have been entertaining, to say the least. There have been people (including some who stated that they were gay) who said that they have no problem with Jerry's joke. On the other hand, some people are calling for Jerry's removal of the telethon. Since Jerry organized the telethon, it would be rather difficult to remove him. That's not to say that he should be removed had he not been the organizer.
Some people have commented that they will never donate to the MDA again because of Jerry's comments. What good is that going to do? If someone was to quit donating their time/money to the MDA because of what Jerry said, the only people they will be hurting are the numerous who suffer from this disease.
Anonymous: I feel that you made some good points in your post. Jerry has done a lot of good through his efforts on behalf of the MDA. Also, as you correctly pointed out, he can't be fired from the telethon since he wasn't hired in the first place.
On the other hand, you seem to harbor a strong resentment against GLAAD. Although they can be overzealous at times, GLAAD has done some really positive things on behalf of the GLBT community.
You mentioned that GLAAD's efforts are self-centered. According to their mission statement, they are dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. As a result, I don't expect them to represent the "non-gay" world... no more than I would ask for PETA to take up a cause that is not pet related.
As for whether or not Jerry is good or evil, I can't comment on that since I have never met him. You on the other hand seem to know him personally. Hell, you sound like you might be his agent. If you do know Jerry on a personal level, I thank you for the insight you provided regarding his character. I think many of us (me included) form opinions about celebs based on their public persona without having the benefit of knowing the real person.
Malcolm, Gladd hasn't simply accepted Jerry's apology, they want to meet with Jerry in person so they can scold him further. As for their "agenda". They don't serve it well. I was completely indifferent about Gladd and their cause until this incident. I don't particularly like it when less than 3 percent of the population demands that the rest of the population ahdere to their demands on behalf of THEIR agenda. They are expecting the "non gay" world to care about them when in fact they don't care about the 'non-gay' population in return. This "one way street" type of mentality doesn't work. In this world many expect to recieve without giving. It doesn't work like that and they need to grow up. If they want people to have compassion for them, then you should learn to be compassionate for others. BTW, NO, I am not Jerry's agent or any kind of representatitive for him or anyone else. The PETA analogy doesn't work because there isn't a much of a correlation between Gays and Animal lovers. There were OTOH some stories in the 80's about rampant hamster abuse among the gay population...
I only watched about 5 minutes of the telathon this year, and this was a part of it. I couldn't believe my ears! I rewound the DVR several times to see if I heard correctly and was in complete disbelief.
If the guys father did not pop Lewis in the nose for the comment, then it should just be an embarassment and end there.
Anonymous: As you mentioned, GLAAD has requested a meeting with Lewis to discuss the on-air joke he made. However, I think it's premature to say they have plans to scold him. If the meeting does take place, I am all for seeing how it plays out before making a judgement.
As for the percentage (less than 3) you listed in regards to the GLBT population, that is open for debate. Various sources have the percentage as low as less than 3 percent or as high as 12 percent.
As I mentioned earlier, I don't agree with every move that GLAAD makes. However, I do feel that their positives far outweigh their negatives.
The bottom line is that me and you can continue sparring back and forth... but to what purpose? I know where you stand and vice versa. Besides, you probably have better ways to occupy your time. I know I do.
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