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Don Rickles Tells Obama Racial Joke, May Have Gone Too Far

Posted: June 10, 2012

Don Rickles

Don Rickles told a racial joke where he compared President Obama to a janitor Thursday night, in a racially charged bit of humor that may have pushed the envelope a bit too far.  Rickles told the joke at the American Film Institute’s tribute to Shirley MacLaine this past Thursday night.  Critics say that type of humor may have had a place in the past but in today’s world that type of racist humor should be left out.

Rickles told the crowd, according to The Hollywood Reporter,

“I shouldn’t make fun of the blacks. President Obama is a personal friend of mine. He was over to the house yesterday, but the mop broke.”

Rickles has long been known to include that type of racial humor in his act and there was a time and place where it may have been considered acceptable, but as the relationships between African-Americans and whites becomes less confrontational it is becoming a lot more rare to hear jokes like Rickles in a public forum.

Rickles is not new to the race game nor even to using racial jokes about President Obama.  When Obama was elected in 2008, Rickles went on the “Late Show With David Letterman” and let loose some humor about Obama playing basketball in the White House during a national emergency.  The audience was audibly squeamish, just as the audience at the AFI event was.

Rickles, due to his age and the era he represents is not likely to bring about the backlash that other comedians get when they insult the President, there is a good chance that in a backroom somewhere, someone is telling Rickles to cool it next time out.



Comments


11 Archived Responses to “ Don Rickles Tells Obama Racial Joke, May Have Gone Too Far ”

  1. Anonymous
    Jun 10, 2012

    That was very offensive no question. He should have just sung "Old Man River" and be done with it.

  2. Dan Myers
    Jun 10, 2012

    Rickles and Sammy Davis Jr were colleagues, best friends and fellow Jews. And NO ONE got upset when he often called him a lawn jockey. Rickles was post-racial back in the 60's and used the absurdity of racism to illustrate the absurdity of racism. That's his 'schtick'. It's a shame that racism is now a business, led by professional ethnics, like Sharpton, Jackson, Jones, Holder, Obama, etc., all throwing gasoline on it like the race-arsonists that they are, perpetuating and suckering yet another generation into division and hatred.

  3. BM Barnes
    Jun 11, 2012

    hahahah always funny to see bleeding heart Libs cry over it. Most of the time these people have no invested interest in comedy and therefore tend to be taken back by statements like this. out of touch, maybe? but hilarious!

  4. BM Barnes
    Jun 11, 2012

    I always thought I was pretty liberal myself but I always go to the HuffPost for a reality check. I'm not even in the same ballpark as some.

  5. Anonymous
    Jun 11, 2012

    Where did he "lose" his humor? People today rely on computer spell checkers that cannot catch mistakes like this. Journalists need to spell and compose their writing more carefully as misspellings and grammar errors compromise their credibility.

  6. Karthick Keyan
    Jun 11, 2012

    he is wat he is and because wat he does nothing to bother.

  7. Mark Jaworski
    Jun 14, 2012

    That's just flat out FUNNY!

  8. Mark Jaworski
    Jun 14, 2012

    That's just flat out FUNNY!


3 Trackback(s)

  1. Jun 11, 2012 : (““There’s an ad, talking about [how] the president is too cool, [asking] is he too cool? And there’s this music that reminds me of, you know, some of the blaxploitation films from the 70s playing in the background, him with his sunglasses,”
  2. Jun 12, 2012 : Mr. Warmth — Don’t Go PC! Don Rickles and Barak Obama | Gordon Flashes
  3. Jun 14, 2012 : Don Rickles’ Obama Joke Cut From Broadcast By Viacom