Senator Al Franken has cancelled his appearance on Bill Maher's show
Senator Al Franken has decided that the heat surrounding Bill Maher’s N-word controversy is too much for him to handle.
According to TMZ, the democratic senator from Minnesota has decided that it will be best for him not to appear on his fellow comics show, Real Time with Bill Maher.
TMZ quoted Senator Franken’s spokesperson as saying, “Senator Franken believes that what Bill Maher said was inappropriate and offensive…He was glad to see Bill, who the senator considers to be a good friend, apologize and express sincere regret for his comment.” Maher found himself dancing on a hot bed of coals after he told Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) that he could not work in the fields because he is a “House Nigger.”
The response left some in the audience silent. Sen. Sasse took to Twitter the next day to explain why he didn’t respond.
Sasse tweeted, “I’m a 1st Amendment absolutist. Comedians get latitude to cross hard lines. Here’s what I wish I’d been quick enough to say in the moment: ‘Hold up, why would you think it’s OK to use that word? The history of the n-word is an attack on universal human dignity. It’s therefore an attack on the American Creed. Don’t use it.’”
A fella named James Storino took a different view and said that Maher “has been a closet racist forever,” while Mary Ann Lissau tweeted that there’s “no excuse” for using the word.
Other folks on Twitter pointed to how Wayne Brady forewarned folks about Bill Maher’s history of making racially charged comments.
During the 2008 Presidential Election, Bill Maher used Wayne Brady as an example of who a “real black man” is not.
And to Maher, a “real black man” is not a well-educated man who is a law abiding citizen. To Maher, a “real black man” is a criminal. Or, as Maher said in 2010 about then President Barack Obama’s presidential response to the BP oil spill, “This is where I want a real black president. I want him in a meeting with the BP CEOs where he lifts up his shirt so we can see the gun in his pants.”
Welp, Maher’s continuous depiction of a “real black man” as a criminal lead Wayne Brady to tell Huffington Post Live’s Lamont Hill that if he were that “black dude” he would beat Maher’s “ass in public.”
Due to the fact that Brady is not the stereotype that Maher so loves to praise, Brady did not give Maher that “ass” whupping that a “real black man” would’ve given him.
Recognizing that this time Maher had jumped over the line, HBO decided it would be best for the company to distance its self from Maher’s “House Nigger” comment.
In the company’s statement, HBO called Maher’s comment “inexcusable and tasteless” and promised to remove that particular portion from the clip; which some viewers said had not been done when the episode was shown again at midnight.
For his part, Maher did what he doesn’t do; which is to apologize. The Hollywood Reporter quoted Maher as saying, “Friday nights are always my worst night of sleep because I’m u reflecting on the things I should or shouldn’t have said on my live. Last night was a particularly long night as I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry.”
The apology didn’t garner him much sympathy. Brady simply tweeted“Yup,” meaning I told y’all about him, while Chance the Rapper tweeted out that HBO should fire him.
According to TMZ, the democratic senator from Minnesota has decided that it will be best for him not to appear on his fellow comics show, Real Time with Bill Maher.
TMZ quoted Senator Franken’s spokesperson as saying, “Senator Franken believes that what Bill Maher said was inappropriate and offensive…He was glad to see Bill, who the senator considers to be a good friend, apologize and express sincere regret for his comment.” Maher found himself dancing on a hot bed of coals after he told Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) that he could not work in the fields because he is a “House Nigger.”
The response left some in the audience silent. Sen. Sasse took to Twitter the next day to explain why he didn’t respond.
Sasse tweeted, “I’m a 1st Amendment absolutist. Comedians get latitude to cross hard lines. Here’s what I wish I’d been quick enough to say in the moment: ‘Hold up, why would you think it’s OK to use that word? The history of the n-word is an attack on universal human dignity. It’s therefore an attack on the American Creed. Don’t use it.’”
A fella named James Storino took a different view and said that Maher “has been a closet racist forever,” while Mary Ann Lissau tweeted that there’s “no excuse” for using the word.
Other folks on Twitter pointed to how Wayne Brady forewarned folks about Bill Maher’s history of making racially charged comments.
During the 2008 Presidential Election, Bill Maher used Wayne Brady as an example of who a “real black man” is not.
And to Maher, a “real black man” is not a well-educated man who is a law abiding citizen. To Maher, a “real black man” is a criminal. Or, as Maher said in 2010 about then President Barack Obama’s presidential response to the BP oil spill, “This is where I want a real black president. I want him in a meeting with the BP CEOs where he lifts up his shirt so we can see the gun in his pants.”
Welp, Maher’s continuous depiction of a “real black man” as a criminal lead Wayne Brady to tell Huffington Post Live’s Lamont Hill that if he were that “black dude” he would beat Maher’s “ass in public.”
Due to the fact that Brady is not the stereotype that Maher so loves to praise, Brady did not give Maher that “ass” whupping that a “real black man” would’ve given him.
Recognizing that this time Maher had jumped over the line, HBO decided it would be best for the company to distance its self from Maher’s “House Nigger” comment.
In the company’s statement, HBO called Maher’s comment “inexcusable and tasteless” and promised to remove that particular portion from the clip; which some viewers said had not been done when the episode was shown again at midnight.
For his part, Maher did what he doesn’t do; which is to apologize. The Hollywood Reporter quoted Maher as saying, “Friday nights are always my worst night of sleep because I’m u reflecting on the things I should or shouldn’t have said on my live. Last night was a particularly long night as I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry.”
The apology didn’t garner him much sympathy. Brady simply tweeted“Yup,” meaning I told y’all about him, while Chance the Rapper tweeted out that HBO should fire him.
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