Comedian John Cleese had his microphone taken off him after making controversial comments about slavery during a panel at SXSW this weekend, where the audience were reportedly unsure 'how to take' some of his jokes.
The British veteran comedy star - who has previously spoken out about cancel culture and the political correctness - was joined by comedians Jim Gaffigan, Dulcé Sloan and Ricky Velez for a 90-minute comedy panel on Friday (11 March) called ‘John Cleese in Conversation’.
According to The Hollywood Reporter the event began with Sloan making a joke about colonisation, to which Cleese quipped how people ‘forget the British Empire was the basic political unit of organization for 6,000 years’, adding: “The British didn’t start [colonising].”
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Sloan then said: “We know, but ya’ll did it so well!
“It’s the reason I’m here! I’m not supposed to be here!”
As Sloan’s remark drew ‘laughs’, Cleese said: “We gave you free passage, too.”
While THR said that line was met with ‘shocked groans from the crowd’, the outlet claimed everyone was still ‘seemingly on board’.
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Cleese continued: “History is a history of crime. It’s a history of people who were stronger beating up people who were weaker, and it’s always been that. It’s deeply, deeply distasteful. But to pretend that one lot were worse than another — you do know the British have been slaves twice, right?”
Sloan replied: “The Dutch are the problem.”
The comic – who is also a Daily Show correspondent – apparently tried to ‘pivot away’ to another topic, and did so successfully for a short while.
But it wasn't long before Cleese brought things back controversial waters, saying: “[People] get competitive about this business of being oppressed.
“We were oppressed, the English, by the Romans for 400 [years], from about 0 to 400.”
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Dan Pasterneck, the panel’s moderator, said Cleese was ‘really going back’, before Velez added: “This is getting so uncomfortable.
“[Is this the new] Dave Chappelle special?”
Sloan said he didn’t want to have a ‘struggle competition’, at which point Cleese piped up again, saying: “I want reparations from Italy.”
He continued: “And then the Normans came over in 1066... They were horrible people from France and they colonised us for 30 years and we need reparations there too, I’m afraid.”
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Pasterneck told the audience: “This is why your phones are locked up.”
He also made a comment about ‘playing the Jew card’, which gave Cleese a segue into a ‘Do you know why Jews...’ joke.
At this point in the panel, Sloan stood up and took Cleese’s microphone off him, with Pasterneck saying he’d now ‘saved the coloniser’.
“I saved a comic whose career I respect,” Sloan replied.
THR said there was some laughter and applause from some of the audience, although others didn’t react in the same way as it was ‘hard to know how exactly to take it’.
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Cleese’s microphone was eventually given back, allowing him to make some final remarks about global warming.
He said: “The thing is, I’m going to be dead soon. That’s why I’m in favour of global warming – I don’t want to be cold ever again.”
Pasterneck then joked: “Where you’re going, you won’t be!”
After the event, Pasterneck also tweeted a photo from the event, posing alongside the panellists - who he said was not divided by 'generation, geographic origin, identity or ideology'.
He wrote: "It was my honor to moderate this panel at @sxsw last Friday. The group was not divided by generation, geographic origin, identity or ideology. These great artists were bound by comedy, unified in mutual admiration and affection. @JohnCleese @JimGaffigan @dulcesloan #rickyvelez."
The photo was also retweeted by Cleese.
Topics: Celebrity
Jess Hardiman