Daniel Tosh Rape Joke Results in Uproar, Apology
by Free Britney at .Daniel Tosh has been known to push the envelope, but a recent joke about an audience member being gang-raped took it too far, even by his standards.
On Friday, the star of Comedy Central's Tosh.0 was doing standup at The Laugh Factory in L.A. and said at one point that rape jokes are always funny.
After a female audience member vocally disagreed, things got ugly.
According to the woman, Tosh said, "Wouldn't it be funny if that girl got raped by like, 5 guys right now? Like right now? What if a bunch of guys just raped her."
The woman and her friend, both "completely stunned" and "humiliated," high-tailed it out of there as the audience guffawed in response to Tosh's wisecrack.
After she documented the experience on Tumblr, Tosh linked to the post and tweeted, "all the out of context misquotes aside, I'd like to sincerely apologize."
Smart move, though Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada was quick to defend him:
"Comedians tell jokes and sometimes they can be off color ... Daniel Tosh is one of the most caring people I know. He had no intentions of hurting anyone."
"I understand where she's coming from, but [Tosh] didn't attack [her] ... I feel bad for her and I apologize to her. If you are a member of the audience and you start dishing out something to a comedian, you better be able to take it."
Also fair. What do you think? Should Daniel have apologized?
UPDATE: The woman complained to the manager but was offered and accepted a refund and two complimentary tickets to the club, so beef quashed.
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Comments (32 Total)
I have had some experience with sexual assault and I personally know men and women that have been raped. Anybody who knows what that's like knows that rape isn't funny. I can't even watch movies anymore that have people getting raped because it makes me feel so twisted inside. Does anybody get that feeling too? Rape is an ugly crime, and it isn't something to laugh about. It's been the cause of suicides, personality disorders, and major, major trauma. People who think stuff like that is funny, should seriously reconsider how it makes some people who have experienced that kind of pain. It makes them feel gross, and dirty. It isn't funny no matter who you are. Someone please tell me they understand.
Oh, and when Kramer dealt with a Heckler by calling him the N-word, nobody thought that was funny either. This is not how a comedian should properly deal with a heckler. This is how someone who can't handle hecklers reacts. They lash out violently.
Rape is not a joke..in any way shape or form. I have worked with women who have been raped and I am a man who has been raped in the past. Someone above stated if Tosh had been raped then joked about it, it would be ok. No, NO it wouldn't. Rape is not a joke!
What he allegedly said was offensive enough, even to men like the guys I know. So it's not a woman's interpretation versus men's interpretation issue. But what upset me the most (if this is what actually was said) is the nature of it. It sounded like he wanted guys to rape her on the spot. He was inciting it. That's a hate crime. That is not protected by the first amendment. Inciting mob violence is not funny.
if Tosh were raped and then decided to joke about it I'd be cool with that. but for a white man from a position of power to joke about something so rampant is not ok. I'm glad he apologized but I refuse to watch his show after this stunt.