Jerry Lewis Apologizes, GLAAD Accepts

Jerry Lewis handled his "illiterate fag" dust-up perfectly, issuing a complete admission and apology immediately. Lewis: "I obviously made a bad choice of words. Everyone who knows me understands that I hold no prejudices in this regard. The success of the (telethon) and all the good that will come from it shouldn't be lost because of one unfortunate word. I accept responsibility for what I said. There are no excuses. I am sorry."

GLAAD accepted Lewis' apology, saying, “GLAAD thanks Jerry Lewis for his swift and direct apology for this incident. We join millions of Americans in applauding the important work of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and wish MDA and Mr. Lewis much continued success in their efforts.”

And that, ladies and germs, is excellent crisis management. Within about 12 hours, the story is effectively dead.