Robert De Niro Apologizes to Michelle Obama: Fire His Joke Writer?

Robert De Niro was forced to apologize for a joke I’m confident he didn’t write. The debacle began at a Democratic fundraiser when De Niro introduced the First Lady, saying, “Callista Gingrich, Karen Santorum, Ann Romney. Now do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?” Michelle Obama wasn’t pleased, calling his comment “inappropriate.” De Niro quickly apologized. Since this isn’t the first time De Niro has failed at joke-telling (see his Lifetime Achievement Award speech at the Golden Globes), I’m confident they aren’t his jokes he’s telling. He’s notorious for avoiding public appearances, and he rarely grants interviews. In fact, he only publicly promotes the films which he produces, because he has a financial stake in their success (see Meet the Fockers), and when he does — he never tells jokes. So what’s my point? I know he’s responsible for the joke-gone-wrong, but cut the guy some slack. Contrary to the barbs being thrown at him, sometimes a bad joke really is just a bad joke.

3 thoughts on “Robert De Niro Apologizes to Michelle Obama: Fire His Joke Writer?”

  1. I thought about that a lot. But this was different. De Niro’s joke was aimed at Republicans who would say, “Is American ready for a black first lady?” He was almost using a joke to respond to the bigotry.

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