Airline removes old Chris Rock comedy special over ‘faggot’ gags
Delta Air Lines has apologised to customers over an old comedy show featuring homophobic slurs on its in-flight entertainment service.
The airline had offered a copy of stand-up Chris Rock’s 2008 comedy special ‘Kill the Messanger’ on its in-flight service, according to GayTravel.
In his comedy set, Rock riffs about the context in which it is okay to say the word “faggot”.
He says: “All bad words ain’t bad… it’s about the context in which the word is said. ”
In a riff about Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington, who was sacked for using homophobic slurs, he said: “If you having a fight with somebody, you should be able to say whatever you think is going to hurt this person the most. I got to be politically correct and mad at the same time?
“If I’m driving and somebody crashes into me and they got one leg… I’m gonna talk about the leg!
He continues: “What if the person that he called a faggot was acting like a faggot? You don’t have to be gay to act like a faggot, you don’t have to be a man to act like a faggot. Anybody can act like a faggot.”
The comic cites himself listening to Gwen Stefani music at traffic lights, adding: “If you in that car behind me, you have the right to go ‘hey faggot, the light’s about to turn!'”
Rock, who has not performed the ‘faggot’ skit in his live shows for many years, does clarify that he is in support of gay rights and loves his gay friends and fans.
After being taken aback by the content of the show on a flight, Jeremy Foreshew – who works for Grindr – had raised a complaint about the special.
In a statement released to GayTravel, the airline said the special would be removed from its service over the homophobic slurs.
A spokesperson for Delta told the outlet: “The Chris Rock ‘Kill the Messenger’ segment should not have been uploaded on flights based on our criteria for excluding onboard programming that includes content featuring explicit language, slurs, extreme violence, and explicit scenes.
“We apologise to any customers who were offended by the content or our airing of the segment, and we are working as quickly as possible to remove it from our aircraft.
“Our commitment to inclusion and respect of all customers is rooted in Delta’s values and culture, and we proudly embrace diverse people, thinking and styles.”
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