Berry makes Anti-Semetic Joke on Leno

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:11pm

In her interview segment while showing distorted photos made by her Mac, Halle Berry said one picture, with a large nose, made her look like "her Jewish cousin."

Apparently, nobody laughed and even Leno was taken aback, saying "I'm glad you said that, not me."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10232007/gossip/pagesix/pagesix.htm

[Act0r721]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:14pm

Over sensitivity.

It bothers me when things are clearly not coming from a place of hate, but people get their panties all in a twist. Especially because she has already apologized, this really should not be news.

[blueroses]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:18pm

Eh, I'm Jewish and I'm not offended. I agree with Actor--she was not coming from a place of hate and I don't think she meant anything by it

[Wilhelmina]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:20pm

Maybe her Jewish cousin actually has a big nose...?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:23pm

What if she mentioned she was cheap like her Jewish cousin?
Updated On: 10/23/07 at 12:23 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:26pm

From the article:

The gorgeous actress, who is 4½ months pregnant with her first child, by boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, said, "What happened was I was backstage before the show and I have three girls who are Jewish who work for me. 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."

And also from the article:

"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." [Emphasis hers.]

You know what? This small-nosed, non-cheap Jew-fag gives her a pass.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:28pm

If Isaiah Washington had said it (or was alleged to have said it) would he have gotten a pass?

[folkyboy]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:31pm

is it so bad to have a big nose?!

¤sobs¤

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:34pm

I'll let her go this time!

(from another small nosed Jew)

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:35pm

I think big noses are sexy, personally.

And didn't Isaiah Washington say that when he said faggot he didn't mean it as a gay slur?

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:38pm

I actually like my men with a largish nose.

Doesn't that indicate largeness elsewhere?

[folkyboy]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:39pm

i thought it was the hands, Jane...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:43pm

So, the comment was cut from the broadcast, and only heard by the people who were in the studio. This is different from Isaiah Washington how, except that Berry made her comment in front of a studio audience?

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:44pm

It's also the feet, folkyboy!

This brings back Pee Wee's Playhouse one day when he was asking Cowboy Carl what big feet meant. "I don't know" said Cowboy Carl. "Big boots!" said Pee Wee.

[Magdalene]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:46pm

"And didn't Isaiah Washington say that when he said faggot he didn't mean it as a gay slur?"

Was he asking for a bundle of sticks?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:48pm

No, but plenty of people say something is "gay" or use the word "faggot" and then claim theer was no gay slur behind it, that it was just a word.

Updated On: 10/23/07 at 12:48 PM

[madbrian]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:51pm

Although I'm not Jewish, I do have a significant nose. Couple that with the touch of grey (OK, maybe more than a touch) in my long hair, and when I attended Cyrano I thought other audience members might think I was related to the lead character.

[Magdalene]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:54pm

I think the contexts were different...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:55pm

That is correct. Berry's happened in public.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 12:56pm

Imus was joking, too, wasn't he?

[artscallion]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 1:00pm

"No, but plenty of people say something is "gay" or use the word "faggot" and then claim theer was no gay slur behind it, that it was just a word."

I never buy that argument. That word has been used as a weapon to hurt people for years. Now to say, "oh it's still a negative insult that means something's silly and lame and we hate it, but not in the old insult way we used to use it to say gays were silly and lame and we hate them."

How would Isaah feel if some white guy called him ni$$er with the caveat that, "I just mean lazy and ig'nant, but not in a black way." Those words are already taken. If you want a new insult word, find your own. Every other use of them is just a semantic manipulation used so that people can still use the word without consequence.

Updated On: 10/23/07 at 01:00 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 1:03pm

I don't by the argument either, artscallion, but I don't know why we're supposed to by that Halle was whooping it up with her Jewish friends before she went onstage.

I don't care one way or the other (although I thought the public outcry over Washington was preposterous). I'm just curious why some people get a pass for offensive comments and others don't.

What if Halle said something with a lisp and said she was like her gay cousin?

Posted: 10/23/07 at 1:09pm

So Leno makes a crack and moves on. The message he sends is "Oh Yeah, Jews. Big Noses. Shouldn't make jokes about 'em tho."

Imagine the joy if he'd said "Wow- you have Jewish cousins? How'd that happen? Is she an actress too? Do you spend holidays together? Wait, you DON'T have Jewish cousins? So why did you say that you looked like her? What? A Joke? I don't get it. Explain it."

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 1:15pm

What if a big black man had said it instead of a pretty half black woman?

[artscallion]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 1:17pm

Sorry, Phyllis. I didn't get your point. I thought you were defending their use of the words. I agree that the rules for who gets a pass seem uneven. I wonder if Halle gets her pass because she's pretty and sweet and tiny and cries at awards shows.