HALLE BERRY: Back Pedaling Out of Alleged Anti-Semitic Slur

Posted Oct 23rd 2007 1:05PM by Karu F. Daniels

Filed under: Entertainment Newswire

 

By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

 

Halle Berry better watch her mouth.

 

The Academy Award winning actress nearly dodged a bullet over her "alleged anti-Semitic" remarks during the taping of 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' on Oct. 19.

 

According to the New York Post, Berry was showing Leno and his audience images of herself on her computer using the Mac program Photo Booth, which distorts images like a carnival fun-house mirror.

 

"She introduced the first photo by saying, 'Here's where I look like my Jewish cousin!' - it was a picture of her with a huge, distorted nose," an anonymous alleged audience member told the daily tabloid. "No one laughed, and Jay nervously said, 'I'm glad you said that and not me.' When the show aired, they cut out her 'Jewish' comment and added a laugh track to the bit."

 

 

 

Another guest in the audience told the Post, "If you watch the clip, you can see Halle saying the word 'Jewish,' though obviously there is no audio. NBC covered her a - -. Ms. Berry should know how unbelievably inappropriate her comment was . . . She should be ashamed of herself."

 

Whoa nelly!!!

 

Berry, a longtime Revlon spokesperson, was promoting her movie 'Things We Lost in the Fire' -- her latest box office clunker -- which only made a dismal $1.6 million during its opening weekend.

 

Known as a media darling -- who coincidentally always has some harrowing tale to tell every time she has a new movie to promote -- spoke to the tabloid and tried to make amends.

 

"I so didn't mean to offend anybody - and after the show I realized it could be seen as offensive, so I asked Jay to take it out, and he did," the 'Strictly Business' star said.

 

"What happened was I was backstage before the show and I have three girls who are Jewish who work for me," she continued. "We were going through pictures to see which ones looked silly, and one of my Jewish friends said [of the big-nose picture], 'That could be your Jewish cousin!' And I guess it was fresh in my mind, and it just came out of my mouth. But I didn't mean to offend anybody. I didn't. I didn't mean any harm."

 

The Post said that the four and a half month pregnant beauty even offered to call its source and apologize in person, saying, "It was just a lighthearted segment that was meant to make fun of myself. There was a picture where I said I looked like Monica Lewinsky and one where I said I looked like Jay. It was just supposed to be a silly segment. I am so sorry, and I apologize."

 

 

 

 

The fact this is even news and that people are offended baffles me. I mean it's so obvious it was light-hearted and it's Jay Leno, for god's sake. It's such a double standard that some comedians live off of stereotypes while one celeb makes an off the mark comment and it gets blown up to the point she has to ask to cut it from the segment. One audience member said 'no one laughed' after she said it....wtf, it's supposed to be a free spirited show. I would have chuckled.

Wow, so did they not only cut it out but also dub in that laughter or was the laughter real?

 

I can't believe she thought or people thought that it was/is offensive. She didn't use a slur or anything. I can't say really though since I'm not Jewish but I don't really see what was bad in that.

 

On an unrelated note, good lord does she look good. No pregnant woman alive can pull off that dress like she did there. Man oh man.

As far as I know, not too many people were actually offended. But I think this is just the reaction to thing like this these days. If this were a white person looking at pictures where their lips had been larger than normal and said "that could be my black cousin" I think thered be an uproar.

As far as I know, not too many people were actually offended. But I think this is just the reaction to thing like this these days. If this were a white person looking at pictures where their lips had been larger than normal and said "that could be my black cousin" I think thered be an uproar.

How many people do you know who were there? Should anyone be offended? Could be-but one thing for sure is you won't see demonstrations, riots and killings of others for disrespecting Judaism. Hmmm, seems like a different type of stereotype should exist for people who do not threaten violence when offended. Like one of respect. Unfortunately, around the world, terrible anti-semitism exists and it is a growing danger. Jews have always been comfortable laughing at themselves but caricatures in foreign newspapers throughout the middle east and parts of Europe are popping up and it is being done to incite hatred. Maybe that is why NBC took it a bit more seriously.

As far as I know, not too many people were actually offended. But I think this is just the reaction to thing like this these days. If this were a white person looking at pictures where their lips had been larger than normal and said "that could be my black cousin" I think thered be an uproar.

How many people do you know who were there? Should anyone be offended? Could be-but one thing for sure is you won't see demonstrations, riots and killings of others for disrespecting Judaism. Hmmm, seems like a different type of stereotype should exist for people who do not threaten violence when offended. Like one of respect. Unfortunately, around the world, terrible anti-semitism exists and it is a growing danger. Jews have always been comfortable laughing at themselves but caricatures in foreign newspapers throughout the middle east and parts of Europe are popping up and it is being done to incite hatred. Maybe that is why NBC took it a bit more seriously.

 

Oh, Im Jewish and completely understand why it would be taken seriously and was pointing out how seriously something similar said of another group of people would cause an uproar but in this case others may be quick to tell people they shouldnt be offended. I would say Fox got it right, you can't really tell people of another race, religion, etc how to feel about a certain thing.

Wow, so did they not only cut it out but also dub in that laughter or was the laughter real?

 

according to the article, they added a laugh track. i'm guessing the 'silence' is what caused halle berry to realize she offended people, although i find it hard to believe that nobody laughed on that show.

I wouldn't have been offended. Then again, it's Halle Barry!

Haha wow. I say sh*t all the time like that. Why do people take themselves so f***ing seriously?

 

 

One of my friends dreams is that one day all racial slurs won't exist because he uses them so commonly it isn't hurtful anymore. And you know what, its the right idea. Don't take yourself so damn seriously.

 

 

I thought Halle was funny FTW.

So, Beinfest, are you going to be Jewing anyone down at garage sales this weekend?

So, Beinfest, are you going to be Jewing anyone down at garage sales this weekend?

 

Nope. I have a nosejob to attend to..apparently my nose is too large and pointed..people won't let me assimilate!

Wow, so did they not only cut it out but also dub in that laughter or was the laughter real?

 

according to the article, they added a laugh track. i'm guessing the 'silence' is what caused halle berry to realize she offended people, although i find it hard to believe that nobody laughed on that show.

 

I don't think people who watch Leno are used to laughing.

It would be just as offensive if Jay showed himself in a bandana and referred to himself as, "looking like my Aunt Jemima". Although I wouldn't have taken it to the extreme, I wouldn't have been amused either.