Asian American group boots comedian for 'offensive' joke
- 5 years ago
NEW YORK — Former SNL writer and comedian Nimesh Patel was actually booted off stage by offended event organizers for telling a gay black guy joke.
According to the Columbia Spectator, the 32-year-old comedian was invited to perform at cultureSHOCK: Reclaim, an event organized by the Columbia University Asian American Alliance last Friday night.
During his set about living in the Big Apple, he told a joke about a gay, black man in his neighborhood, which AAA officials deemed inappropriate.
Patel joked that being gay cannot be a choice because "no one looks in the mirror and thinks, 'this black thing is too easy, let me just add another thing to it."
About half an hour in, some AAA members interrupted Patel's set and complained about his jokes on racial identities and sexual orientation, and gave him some time to wrap it up.
Patel replied to the remarks saying that none of what he said was offensive, and he was just exposing the audience to things you might see "in the real world."
The open-minded college students were having none of that and cut Patel's mic before he could finish talking. After that, Patel just walked off stage.
AAA released a statement on Dec. 3 saying that while they acknowledge that discomfort and safety can co-exist, the discomfort Patel caused with his remarks and overall performance opposed AAA and cultureSHOCK's mission to celebrate, empower, and explore identity in a safe space.
According to the Columbia Spectator, the 32-year-old comedian was invited to perform at cultureSHOCK: Reclaim, an event organized by the Columbia University Asian American Alliance last Friday night.
During his set about living in the Big Apple, he told a joke about a gay, black man in his neighborhood, which AAA officials deemed inappropriate.
Patel joked that being gay cannot be a choice because "no one looks in the mirror and thinks, 'this black thing is too easy, let me just add another thing to it."
About half an hour in, some AAA members interrupted Patel's set and complained about his jokes on racial identities and sexual orientation, and gave him some time to wrap it up.
Patel replied to the remarks saying that none of what he said was offensive, and he was just exposing the audience to things you might see "in the real world."
The open-minded college students were having none of that and cut Patel's mic before he could finish talking. After that, Patel just walked off stage.
AAA released a statement on Dec. 3 saying that while they acknowledge that discomfort and safety can co-exist, the discomfort Patel caused with his remarks and overall performance opposed AAA and cultureSHOCK's mission to celebrate, empower, and explore identity in a safe space.