jerry lewis
09/04/2007
Jerry Lewis Says "Faggot" During Labor Day Telethon
Over here at TDR, we are obligated to bring to you, our dear readers, the latest in viral videos. Sometimes, that can get a little tedious, as the Net often becomes the soapbox for manufactured scandals. Case in point, this video of Jerry Lewis coughing up the F word during a recent muscular-dystrophy telethon (we're referring here to the six-lettered version that ends with "t").
So, yeah, Jerry Lewis said the word "faggot" on television. He's also 81 years old, raises millions to help kids, has a famously dirty mouth, and cut himself short right after he said it. (And let's not forget that the French think he's positively Wellesian.) This is a major scandal? Apparently so. Here's what GLAAD president Neil Giuliano told TMZ: "We want to sit down with him, help him understand why these words are so hurtful, and give him an opportunity to raise public awareness about the destructive impact of these kinds of anti-gay slurs, even more so in attempted humor."
Will Jerry meet with Neil? Is a trip to rehab in order? Can he go to jail for this? Will he make an impassioned plea on Letterman,
begging his fans for forgiveness? We get the feeling that the answers
to all of these questions is an emphatic no. At least we hope so.
UPDATE: Jerry has since apologized. Also, the original video was pulled from Daily Motion. So here's CNN and their three-minute segment about this scandalous controversy. Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor are have been spotted rolling in their respective graves.
