Jerry Lewis makes another anti-gay slur

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Source: Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia – Jerry Lewis made an anti-gay slur on Australian television similar to one he apologized for using on his annual telethon a year ago.

Following a news conference in Sydney Friday, Lewis, 82, was asked by a Network Ten national TV reporter for his opinion on the Australian nation sport of cricket.

"Oh, cricket? It's a f-- game. What are you, nuts?" Lewis replied.

The network broadcast the comment in full on its Friday evening news bulletin along with footage of Lewis handling an imaginary cricket bat with an effeminate gesture.
...
"Last year, Mr. Lewis apologized for using an anti-gay slur on live television, and expressed his desire to raise public awareness about the impact of this kind of defamation," GLAAD president Neil G. Giuliano said in a statement.

"Clearly he did not take the lessons of that unfortunate episode to heart because, in an effort to be humorous, he has once again managed to offend and defame the gay community," he said.

"For someone so well known for helping others, Mr. Lewis shows an incredible lack of dignity and respect when he makes comments that contribute to a climate of intolerance," Giuliano added.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081025/ap_en_mo/as_people_jerry_lewis

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[Algorem]

2. what?that line got a big laugh out of the rat pack in 1961

at 4am in a vegas penthouse before they all passed out

[msanthrope]

17. They were doing that crap in their live shows....Dean Martin

was one mean, racist SOB to Sammy Davis Jr., when in his cups....

[mitchum]

25. So did Sinatra...with freaking watermelon and fried chicken and...

"smile so the people can see you" comments

[mac56]

3. "Heyyyy, niiiice laaaadyyyyyyyy...!"

:eyes:

[ColoradoMagician]

4. That man was always an asshole.

Go to Hell, Lewis. You piece of shit.

[pipoman]

5. Geez

"For someone so well known for helping others, Mr. Lewis shows an incredible lack of dignity and respect when he makes comments that contribute to a climate of intolerance," Giuliano added.

No he is well known for being a comedian, albeit arguably not so good, still a comedian. Does Mr. Giuliano not watch Comedy Central? He could surely find many more egregious "comments that contribute to a climate of intolerance" there. By the way, how does this silly comment "contribute to a climate of intolerance", anyway? Much ado about nothing.

[msanthrope]

18. Arguably, his telethon is better known than his body of work....n/t

[Ian David]

6. Jerry Lewis is allowed to use "The f-word" because he's bisexual.

Some people say.

[Swagman]

8. realy ?

[Ian David]

9. That's what folks say. n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Some folk even say

That their dad had very wealthy gay clients in a California beach town, and some folk say that one Monday morning Dad showed up at the house to find the debris of a huge weekend party, and some folk say that the largest bit of debris was one Jerry Lewis, passed out in the gay garage, lying in the gay dog bed, along with the dogs. So some folk say, if nothing else, that Jerry Lewis has been the last man to roll out of bed (dog's or otherwise) at at least one big gay rave way back when Jerry could still remember the words to his songs.
Some folk would also say that Jerry Lewis was not welcomed back to that house, as the hosts found him to be vulgar and annoying in measures that far surpassed the fun of his celebrity.
Then again some folk say all kinds of crazy things.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[Zuiderelle]

16. Do you understand how bigoted everything you just said was?

[Swagman]

7. I was at the press conference ..but not that interview..poor Jerry's 82

and almost deaf. His jokes were old hat and it was sad to see this little shrivelled up man. I doubt he meant it in an insulting manner..it's the way those 'oldtimers" talk. For God's sake the guy's in show-biz..I doubt he'd have an anti-gay bone in his body. Just making silly old fashioned "jokes".Corny, old hat, stoopid. But that's Jerry Lewis.He also told what he thought was a raunchy joke during his interview..it was sad..everyone laughed out of politeness.

##only about 10 of us turned up for his press conference..I felt sorry for the guy. I saw him 8 years ago and he looked so much better.

[Ian David]

10. He forgot it was a bad word the same way he forgot you can't take a gun on an airplane. n/t

[Book Lover]

23. Sorry, but no

My 81 year old father has come to realize the words he used to use with impunity hurt people, and he doesn't say them anymore as mere descriptors *or* insults. Mr. Lewis can manage to do the same, if he wanted to.

[Honeycombe8]

12. I guess he's Republican. I've heard that comment before about cricket. It is a common

saying among macho-type men, or Republican-type men.

Women, OTOH, seem to like cricket more. For one thing, don't they wear those cute little shorts that show off their muscular legs? Or am I confusing it with soccer?

He shouldn't have said that. He should apologize. But he's an old, sick guy. Old sayings are hard to get out of your head.

It's also commonplace to say that a sport is for girls, or the like. The implication being it's a lesser sport, if girls play it. Same thing.

[Swagman]

13. I don't think so..does this look like an anti-gay Republican ?

I asked Jerry to just act normal when I took his photo..he did say when asked about the presidential race ;"I want to be at the party when they throw out the one that's in now" (but I guess that's like 80% of Americans at the moment)

I only know Jerry Lewis from when I was a kid and saw his movies and I haven't followed his career. I got the impression he's one of those old show biz types that don't want to reveal who they vote for but are "libruls"!..maybe others know something I don't !!

[onehandle]

15. "Old man uses lingo from a less progressive time."

Who cares? He's 82 fucking years old.

DUers get obsessed about the dumbest things. How many times must this be posted?

[Swagman]

19. I think you are correct.

[annabanana]

26. yeah... He's got lots of company in that paradigm..

old dogs & new tricks kind of thing
We are seeing the ends of it, I think...with that generation.. Of that particular kind of careless bigotry...

Younger people who talk like that are being deliberatly offensive..

[cboy4]

20. Groan. Come on Jerry.

:eyes:

[kskiska]

21. Watch Billy Crystal in "Mr. Saturday Night"

where he plays a washed up 50s comedian of Jerry's genre to understand Jerry's humor. He belongs to that bunch of guys at the Friar's Club, like Don Rickles, Henny Youngman, Sid Caesar, Phyllis Diller, Dean Martin, and any other old comedian living or dead that you can imagine. Lots of them dealt with irreverent humor, especially when they get together at their club roasts.

Jerry is a relic of times gone by and people today take offense.

[EFerrari]

31. Lewis is probably not straight, he comes from another era and he's 200 years old.

Aren't there more viable targets of opprobrium?

[izquierdista]

22. How have things changed?

Just look for "Coal Black and the Sebben Dwarfs" on YouTube. And we all know that "gays" didn't really exist before Stonewall. Anyone here old enough to remember Stonewall?

[DS1]

24. I never understood what people saw in that fucking hack

He's a comedy Jackie Chan, for French people. Fuck him. Keep the MDA stuff, but just get rid of this piece of shit forever.

Yes, I really hate Jerry Lewis.

[Pastiche423]

27. No, no, no!

Do NOT keep the MDA stuff. He's been demeaning disabled people for decades. Hell, he's been caught on audio:

http://www.ragged-edge-mag.com/extra/jerrylewis052401.htm

I loathe that man.

[DS1]

28. Alright, fine. Ditch it, too

I was just being PC for the DU Offense Patrol

[LostinVA]

32. A friend of mine with CP LOATHES him for that reason

She thinks he makes disabled folks objects of pity.

[Flagg]

29. Newsflash: Jerry Lewis has made his entire career in the US

- He was popular in France at some point in the 50s and 60s. That means that his movies were popular, not that Jerry Lewis was an icon, as maybe Woody Allen has been or still is.

- He was written up as a genius by a couple of highbrow movie critics in the 50’s. That doesn’t make France consider him a genius.

- He’s always been more popular in Germany than in France. I even heard him admit it on a Larry King show.

- Most Frenchies under 30 have no idea who he is. They often confuse him with Jerry Lee Lewis.

- Most Frenchies have no idea that Americans think that they are supposed to be big fans of JL. It was quite a surprise to me the first time I was asked.

- His movies are rarely shown in France. Every time I looked up the listings, I couldn’t find a single one. That doesn’t mean it never happens. Satellite and cable TV have a lot of time to fill up.

- His movies are very frequently shown in the US. As a matter of fact, Boeing Boeing is on next Tuesday on TCM and Three on a Couch next Wednesday.

- He is still very popular in America. He appears several times a year on Larry King Live (CNN highest-rated program, believe it or not…,) and his telethon on Labor Day is beating record after record every year.

[Pastiche423]

30. I do hope that someday soon the MDA telethon

will be taken away from that bigoted asshole. And I won't "pity" him when it happens.

[booley]

33. Maybe I'm a bad person for this

but when I read this the first thought i had was.. Jerry Lewis is still alive?

Really, why should we care what some washed up actor said? Most people understand that homophobia is wrong and Jerry Lewis isn't going to change that.

[silverojo]

34. People are missing the other atrocious part of this remark

He just insulted another country's popular sport on national TV in that country. Even if he hadn't used the f** word, that statement is really offensive to cricket fans all over the world--by implying that it's not a "macho man's game"! :puke:

I wonder if Jerry Lewis realizes that there are gay people who have MS? How would he react if someone brought this up to him? Just a thought. :mad: