On Wednesday, November 26, Thanksgiving eve, comedian Rosie O’Donnell will host a special on NBC, “Rosie’s Variety Show.” Reportedly, it has a strong chance of becoming a weekly show on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. beginning next year.
When this news broke, we wasted no time in giving NBC a heads-up.
NBC wouldn’t dare hire one of its icons, Michael Richards, to do a special, never mind give him serious consideration for a weekly show on Sunday nights. That’s because the “Seinfeld” actor made bigoted remarks one night in 2006 while performing a comedy routine. By contrast, O’Donnell has made a slew of the most viciously bigoted remarks, year after year. But the officials at NBC think she’s okay.
Moreover, Richards made his comments in a private comedy club; O’Donnell made her numerous comments on national television. Let us mention that African Americans were the target of Richards’ bigoted statements; O’Donnell’s repertoire is mostly limited to attacking Catholics and the Catholic Church. She once ripped Asians, but then quickly issued an apology. She has never apologized to Catholics for her non-stop bigotry.
If Michael Richards were to be given the same opportunity that O’Donnell is being given, the NAACP, Al Sharpton and others would waste no time in scheduling a protest. And by comparison, Richards is positively angelic next to O’Donnell.
Sponsors had better beware. If O’Donnell resorts to her Catholic-bashing antics, one of them will pay. Bet on it. Ironically, it was on Thanksgiving eve of 2006 that NBC aired a concert from Madonna’s “Confessions Tour.” Deleted from the show was the “Mock Crucifixion” scene we objected to. That’s because NBC got the message about the boycott we planned with the Media Research Center (we said we would boycott one sponsor, to be identified after the show).
NBC would be wise not to pick up O’Donnell’s show in 2009.
We urge our members to contact NBC’s CEO Jeff Zucker at jeff.zucker@nbcuni.com
