Jerry Lewis Disses Female Comedians

"I can’t see women doing that. It bothers me. I cannot sit and watch a lady diminish her qualities to the lowest common denominator. I just can’t do that." - Jerry Lewis, telling an interviewer at Cannes that he doesn't have any favorite female comedians because they are an embarrassment to motherhood. Or something. Lewis' comments have ignited a firestorm of criticism on Twitter, where noted female comics are weighing in under the #FuckUJerryLewis hashtag among others.

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.

Jerry Lewis Drops Gay F-Bomb Live On TV?

In the 18th hour of this weekend's Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy telethon, host Jerry Lewis appears to say "illiterate faggot" while live on the air. Unbelievable. Was Jerry Lewis ever funny? The gaffe was caught by eagle-ears over at After Elton and many other blogs and news sources, a few of whom say Lewis said "fatty", not "faggot." What do YOU hear? Lewis will probably "apologize" and blame sleep-deprivation.

UPDATE: GLAAD is asking Jerry Lewis to apologize. Via CNN: "Jerry Lewis' on-air use of this kind of anti-gay slur is simply unacceptable," GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano said in a statement posted on the group's Web site. "It also feeds a climate of hatred and intolerance that contributes to putting our community in harm's way." CNN quotes Lewis as indeed saying "fag" and reports that Lewis' manager has no comment on the quote. Giuliano is seeking a meeting with Lewis, saying, "We want to sit down with him, help him understand why these words are so hurtful, and give him an opportunity to raise public awareness about the destructive impact of these kinds of anti-gay slurs, even more so in attempted humor."