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Silverman takes heat for dissing Spears tots
Sarah Silverman is taking some heat for her monologue at the MTV Video Music Awards, specifically for the gags about Britney Spears’ young sons.
“The joke that everyone was upset about– me calling the kids ‘adorable mistakes’– was the most innocuous joke,” the 36-year-old comedian tells Us Weekly magazine in the issue that comes out Friday. “It never occurred to me that would be deemed hurtful or over the line.”
Silverman is asking us to swallow a lot here. The joke is far from innocuous. (Perhaps she doesn’t understand the meaning of the word.)
It’s usually a good idea– even for someone who has a reputation for being edgy, blasphemous and outrageous– to, at the very least, lay off the kids! If the critics were to give Silverman heat for jokes about adults, no matter how cruel or off-color those jokes might be, we’d probably be among the first to defend her. But there are tens of thousands of kids and adults in therapy right now because someone implied or explicitly stated that they were “mistakes!” They are public figures, but only in the strictest sense of the phrase. As such, they should be deemed off-limits, even for the sharpest of wits, even at the sleaziest of events.
Rather than take the route she has, Silverman would have been better off comparing any possible damage from her jibe to the real harm that mom might be inflicting on the tykes.
Aside from that, US Weekly in particular and Hollywood in general has some nerve coming down on a comedian after all the abuse they’ve heaped on “The Pop Tart” prior to and during her rather public and excruciating meltdown. The 25-year-old former Mousketeer is obviously in a hell we can only imagine. After a while, it might be best to totally ignore her, rather than exacerbate her situation.
17 Responses
Reply to: Silverman takes heat for dissing Spears tots
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“It never occurred to me that would be deemed hurtful or over the line.” hmm… well in Sarah’s Defense… Hitler meant well.
“Hitler meant well?” What kind of joke is that? Do you know how many children were killed in the holocaust? Don’t you know that “It’s usually a good idea– even for someone who has a reputation for being edgy, blasphemous and outrageous– to, at the very least, lay off the kids!”
I wasnt really defending her. I was point out what a ridiculous comment that was.
Over the line? – Remember Mrs. Spears came out looking like a stripper on drugs? She bent over a few times and shook her ass. The first line of her song was “It’s Britney bitch….” That’s how the show started. Silverman just spoke some words. I guess words hurt more than actions.
To Charlie Moreno:Did you read the posting at all?The line that most upset people was the one about the children.The actions you describe are those of the mom.Some folks say: Make jokes about the mom, leave the kids out of it.And they have a point.We can’t figure out what part of that is so hard to understand.
Dearest Shecky Magazine,I am writing in the hopes that you will elaborate on your position that Sarah Silverman, and comics in general, should “lay off the kids.”Is it only because they are minors that Sean Preston and Jayden James shouldn’t be the target of wit? When the Spears’ kids turn eighteen, can we make fun of them then? Or do we wait until they’re twenty-one? The only reason you give for such a cease-fire is bathed in ambiguity: “…there are tens of thousands of kids and adults in therapy right now because someone implied or explicitly stated that they were ‘mistakes!’” That sounds like an example you invented to make your point. So, I ask, how many of those “tens of thousands” were the target of one joke by a comedian they did not personally know? Is that comparable to the daily verbal abuse that a child might sustain from their foster parents? Or to a cruel joke by an older sibling? I don’t think the implication puts people in therapy; it’s probably the context of such implication.Besides, your example makes it seem as though you are fighting jokes about unwanted pregnancy and not jokes about youths. If that’s the case, I seem to remember an episode of <>Two and a Half Men<> where Alan’s (Jon Cryer) mother announced that he was a mistake. Something about, “Charlie was planned. You were a bottle of Tequila and a gas-station condom.” Following your logic, there were probably tens of thousands of therapy go-ers, old and young, who may have been offended by that piece. Well, if CBS is going to poke fun at unwanted pregnancy during prime time television, I think standup comedians should be allowed during any event, ever. Whether it’s a character on TV or real kids at the butt of the joke, what should that matter to the home viewer?I’ve read your magazine for years, but, as far as I can remember, this is the first time you’ve mentioned a subject that is too over-the-top, too vicious, for comedians. Is this a precedent? Will other topics follow? Are you going to keep track?It’s easy to find reasons why comedians <>shouldn’t<> take aim at a topic. You can do it with any subject. And for that reason, no subject should be off-limits. How can you say that a celebrity’s kids are off-limits, but rape, suicide, and George W. Bush are still fair game? Bush was elected to office by the American people, he’s doing the best he can, we’re at war, blah, blah, blah… Don’t make fun of him. Blah.Sure there are reasons you <>should<> take aim at the President, but, if you need a reason to laugh at every target before a joke is written, let’s say good bye to a lot of late night TV and jokes about oven mitts, escalators, ducks… Why you gotta takes ducks down a peg?I’m alive. Anything that happens while I am alive goes onto the palette from which I paint my work. That right should be afforded to every comedian.By the way, according to the quote you posted, Sarah said that “…was the most innocuous joke.” The qualifier <>most<> is probably comparing that joke to the others in her set that night. It’s subjective, but when looking at her other jokes you could argue that it is the <>most<> innocuous. I’m sure she knows what the word means.Please clear up some of my confusion.Sincerely,Ryan Stout< HREF="http://www.ryanstout.net" REL="nofollow">http://www.ryanstout.net<>< HREF="http://www.myspace.com/ryanstout" REL="nofollow">http://www.myspace.com/ryanstout<>
Dearest Shecky Magazine,I am writing in the hopes that you will elaborate on your position that Sarah Silverman, and comics in general, should “lay off the kids.”Is it only because they are minors that Sean Preston and Jayden James shouldn’t be the target of wit? When the Spears’ kids turn eighteen, can we make fun of them then? Or do we wait until they’re twenty-one? The only reason you give for such a cease-fire is bathed in ambiguity: “…there are tens of thousands of kids and adults in therapy right now because someone implied or explicitly stated that they were ‘mistakes!'” That sounds like an example you invented to make your point. So, I ask, how many of those “tens of thousands” were the target of one joke by a comedian they did not personally know? Is that comparable to the daily verbal abuse that a child might sustain from their foster parents? Or to a cruel joke by an older sibling? I don’t think the implication puts people in therapy; it’s probably the context of such implication.Besides, your example makes it seem as though you are fighting jokes about unwanted pregnancy and not jokes about youths. If that’s the case, I seem to remember an episode of <>Two and a Half Men<> where Alan’s (Jon Cryer) mother announced that he was a mistake. Something about, “Charlie was planned. You were a bottle of Tequila and a gas-station condom.” Following your logic, there were probably tens of thousands of therapy go-ers, old and young, who may have been offended by that piece. Well, if CBS is going to poke fun at unwanted pregnancy during prime time television, I think standup comedians should be allowed during any event, ever. Whether it’s a character on TV or real kids at the butt of the joke, what should that matter to the home viewer?I’ve read your magazine for years, but, as far as I can remember, this is the first time you’ve mentioned a subject that is too over-the-top, too vicious, for comedians. Is this a precedent? Will other topics follow? Are you going to keep track?It’s easy to find, or invent, reasons why comedians SHOULDN’T take aim at a topic. You can do it with any subject. And for that reason, no subject should be off-limits. How can you say that a celebrity’s kids are off-limits, but rape, suicide, and George W. Bush are still fair game? Bush was elected to office by the American people, he’s doing the best he can, we’re at war, blah, blah, blah… Don’t make fun of him. Blah.Sure there are reasons you SHOULD take aim at the President, but, if you need a reason to laugh at every target before a joke is written, let’s say good bye to a lot of late night TV and jokes about oven mitts, escalators, ducks… Why you gotta takes ducks down a peg?I’m alive. Anything that happens while I am alive goes onto the palette from which I paint my work. That right should be afforded to every comedian.By the way, according to the quote you posted, Sarah said that “…was the most innocuous joke.” The qualifier <>most<> is probably comparing that joke to the others in her set that night. It’s subjective, but when looking at her other jokes you could argue that it is the <>most<> innocuous. I’m sure she knows what the word means.Please clear up some of my confusion.Sincerely,Ryan Stout< HREF="http://www.ryanstout.net" REL="nofollow">http://www.ryanstout.net<>< HREF="http://www.myspace.com/ryanstout" REL="nofollow">http://www.myspace.com/ryanstout<>
Sweet Christ on a bike this system is sensitive toward “quotes.” And dot dot dots…Sorry for the mess.STOUTPS: No offense towards bikes.
Ryan Stout writes:<>I am writing in the hopes that you will elaborate on your position that Sarah Silverman, and comics in general, should “lay off the kids.”Is it only because they are minors that Sean Preston and Jayden James shouldn’t be the target of wit?–snip–<>To which we reply:Yes.Without reading the rest (because there’s really no need to go into anything else), the kids didn’t ask to be in this situation. And, sure, Spears might be abusing them, but it is hoped that maybe we might be the bigger person and lay off the tots.You– or any comic– can do whatever he wants. But we have an informal custom in these parts– we tend to lay off the kids. When they become adults– 18 or thereabouts– and if they seek out the spotlight, then have at them.What we said was: “It’s usually a good idea… to, at the very least, lay off the kids!”Hardly a proscription. Not censorship, either. Nor is it inconsistent with anything we’ve ever written in the past. Just a bit of advice if you don’t want a raft of shit from people who:1. Have kids2. Know kids3. Were kids once themselves.The kids weren’t part of the act, they weren’t to our knowledge at the event, or on camera. To go after them in the monologue was courting the kind of negative publicity that Silverman eventually got. To go after them when they’re in such an hellish situation, Silverman is lucky that she only go this much flack.Up until recenly, when Hollywood stars ask the paparazzi to not photograph or sell photographs of their kids, the paparazzi usually comply. In England, that rule still applies. In the U.S., it doesn’t apply any more. A picture is merely an invasion of privacy.A joke, a cruel joke, is more than that.And, while we’re talking about jokes, when we said, “But there are tens of thousands of kids and adults in therapy right now because someone implied or explicitly stated that they were ‘mistakes!'” We said so with tongue in cheek.The other part was fairly reasonable and straightforward.
Oh, Shecky Magazine,Your example about therapy was tongue in cheek? It was meant to be taken with a grain of salt? You weren’t serious about that? Okay. You were joking, but, if that same sentence was taken seriously, it COMPLETELY supports your argument. Hmmm… Sorry. That’s not how tongue in cheek works.Anyway, thanks for answering one of my questions.I know kids. And was once a kid. So I fit into two of your three groups and I don’t feel like I should give Sarah Silverman a “raft of shit.” I believe there are many others like me who feel the same way. There are probably even people who have kids (your third group) who thought the joke was funny.You’re saying Sarah was wrong. If a bunch of people like the joke, are they wrong, too?Did you think it was a funny joke? That hasn’t been discussed. Was it fair? We tend to disagree on that, but fair and funny aren’t the same. I feel like everything is fair or nothing is fair.Has anyone asked the kids if they thought the joke was funny? What happens when they grow up, see the clip, and laugh? Who is the victim then?There’s no need for people to be offended on the kids’ behalf. I get on stage all over the country and see people get offended because they THINK a third person MIGHT be offended. It’s revolting. People are getting offended based on a long line of assumptions they’ve imagined.Now, if you find one thing offensive, it’s really hard to justify why another subject isn’t offensive. So, okay, fine. You’re not providing proscriptions or condoning censorship. You are giving <>advice<> about subjects that should be avoided. Are there any OTHER subjects that you would ADVISE comics to avoid?The kids didn’t ask to be included.The homeless don’t ask to be made fun of.The mentally handicapped didn’t choose their condition.Little people…Where does it end?The topic is not Britney’s kids. The topic is this:If comics follow your advice and avoid this one topic, shouldn’t they also avoid other topics that would reward them with a “raft of shit?” If so, many subjects would have to be tossed out along with “the kids of celebrities.” Sure, it’s good business. The “non-offensive comics” would book more corporate, college, and club work. But, from an art perspective, avoiding any subject isn’t smart; it doesn’t push the craft in any new direction. “Clean” comedy is a subjective term.“Dark” comedy is a subjective term.“Edgy” comedy is a subjective term.“Comedy” is a subjective term. And, thus, avoiding any topic isn’t worth the effort because there’s always someone who doesn’t like something.I’m concerned about comedy; you seem concerned about these two kids you’ve never met.Innocuously,Ryan Stout< HREF="http://www.ryanstout.net" REL="nofollow">http://www.ryanstout.net<>< HREF="http://www.myspace.com/ryanstout" REL="nofollow">http://www.myspace.com/ryanstout<>
The more I read and hear the more I get the idea that humour and especially standup comedy is not palatable for the majority of people. Maybe that is the ‘crossover’ that female comics have made, whatever that means I have no idea and couldn”t care less. I am keeping my shows to Standup comedy clubs and specific festivals nowdays and occaisionaly do a general public charity gig with a specific material set to use. Then it keeps all the caring commenting grief on what is right, wrong and acceptable out of my life.
As the proud parent of a beautiful mistake, I thought the line was hilarious. Just to be sure, I asked my wife what she would do if Sarah made the joke about our son. She said she’d laugh because it was funny. Not every child is planned (I wonder what the percentage is, in fact), but that doesn’t mean they’re not loved or wanted.
This has become a very interesting discussion. Let’s compare and contrast this to Kathy Griffin’s Jesus fiasco. I went out of my way to defend Kathy on a lot of websites, meanwhile I thought Sarah was definitely out of line. To the Christians I said, I understood why they were upset, but spending $90,000 to drag Kathy thru the mud was a little over reacting when there are much worst celebrities out there driving drunk and endangering lives. I also thought Kathy’s remarks were funny (to me), and acknowledge that “suck it” was a little much, but she was only trying to call back to a phrase she uses on her d-list show. It’s also up in the air whether or not Jesus is real… meanwhile Britney’s kids (although they are not the messiah) do exist. I think I would have thought Sarah’s joke was funny had it been said behind closed doors at a comedy club, but national television is a whole different ball of wax. If Sarah worked out those jokes at a comedy club and people laughed, then that must of made her comfortable telling the jokes at the VMAs. Now lets look at Sarah’s movie “Jesus is Magic”… I dont recall anyone making a big deal out of it poking at Jesus (correct me if I’m mistaken here), and I think the difference is that Sarah Silverman fans paid to see that movie vs. all sorts of people watch award shows. A completely different demographic. In both cases (Kathy and Sarah), this bad publicity is just brining them into the spot light. Sarah and Kathy will lose fans, but they will probably make more fans that like that kind of humor. I’m not sure what the lesson is here. When you are hanging out with friends, you can burp and eat with your mouth open, but when you are at a formal event with strangers, behave yourself??? But then how do you stand out in front of strangers… I guess you have to tell jokes that set you apart from the other comedians but dont offend anyone… hmm… sounds hard… even Jerry Lewis slips up once in a while. I have a feeling this will all blow over and Sarah will just be more well known. I’m not trying to defend Sarah here… personally, she’s not my flavor… I’m just weighing both sides, and would like to here what others have to say.
Something that hasn’t been mentioned is that (according to tabloid headlines at the supermarket) Britney is the one who originally referred to her children as “mistakes.” When I first saw Sarah do the joke, I assumed it was a dig at Britney, not the kids. If the tabloids are correct (not that it matters), then the children’s scars due to Silverman will be vastly eclipsed by those due to their mother’s comments.
I agree with Houston.Calling a child a mistake definitely seems more like saying that the PARENTS made a mistake, not that the child did anything at all.So in this case, Sarah definitely was taking a dig at Britney, but calling the kids adorable, no?And if there actually are any people out there who learned that they were a mistake and were damaged by it, I’d love to hear them weigh in.I know plenty of people who were born years after their siblings, not planned, called “mistakes” or “accidents,” just as adjusted as all the people I know who were “on purposes.”And none of them are as adorable as Britney’s kids even.
I was a mistake.. but in my case, my parents were old and didnt think they were still capable of getting pregnant. No effect on me.As Ryan points out, comedy is subjective, and there is no definitive right or wrong here.. but did the joke get laughs at the show? no… did she receive a lot of backlash? yes… I would say that it was definitely a bad choice of comedy in that environment for those reasons.. after all.. hindsight is 20/20What I’m trying to figure out is whether this is a case of “There is no such thing as bad press”. This isnt the first time she’s been in this kind of trouble, and her career keeps moving forward.
I think the joke is fair cause Britney’s actions justify the sting If we changed the name to jodie foster is the joke funny no because she is not known to be a bad mother.If britney would lay off the sauce and go away for awhile then this would not have happened. She has to lay in the bed she makes for herselfI am the parent of two young boys and if you see me hammered flashing my snatch out of a limo then go after my kidsdarrenhttp://www.comedywhore.com