Celebrity Racism & Homophobia: Steve Martin Apologises, Phil Robertson Blunders Further
This week has caused at least one celebrity to retract an ethnic joke whilst others have merely continued to dig a hole they seem unwilling to crawl out of. In a week of celebrity-slurred bigotry, comic actor Steve Martin has apologised for a racial slur, whilst Duck Dynasty patriarch has continued to spout his homophobic views.
Comic actor Steve Martin has apologised for tweeting a comment which could be considered offensive. The tweet was made on 20 December and two days later Martin issued an apology on his Twitter account.
E! News first reported the 68-year-old actor, whilst in a discussion with a number of his fans, was asked "Is this how you spell lasonia?" To which Martin, rather inappropriately replied, "It depends. Are you in an African-American neighbourhood or at an Italian restaurant?"
.@ImNotHereAreYou My tweet was highly inappropriate. Sadly, there is a misquoted version around with the implications you write about.
— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) December 22, 2013
Martin later deleted his Tweet, presumably after a number of his followers commented that such a remark was inappropriate. He wrote "My tweet was highly inappropriate," but added that he had been misquoted by a media outlet which has fuelled outrage at his comment.
Meanwhile, homophobia was rife in Louisiana when GQ magazine interviewed Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson. He gave a sermon in 2010 in which he stated he thought homosexuality was a sin. When questioned about his viewpoints - presumably in some hope they had changed- Robertson reiterated that he believed homosexuality was a sin.
LGBT groups are, justifiably, appalled that such a man is in such a prominent position on US television sets. One spokesperson, speaking to The Huffington Post, stated "Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe. He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans -and Americans- who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to re-examine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families."
Phil's homophobic comments don't seem like going away either, as the reality star continues to reiterate that he has done nothing that he needs to apologise for, and a number of people are standing in his corner, including Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. The comments from Robertson have caused a rift in the country, with some outraged with his beliefs and others outraged at his treatment since the comments were made, mainly because they believe his freedom of speech is being compromised.
Phil Robertson's sons: Korie (L) and Willie (R) Roberston also star in Duck Dynasty.