Sandra Bernhard dropped from women’s shelter event for Sarah Palin remarks


Controversial comedian/actress Sandra Bernhard has been uninvited to a benefit show for a Boston area women’s shelter after her comments on Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Bernhard, who has never shied away from questionable language or comic material, was riffing on Palin’s conservative views on abortion and took things way too far.

Sandra Bernhard’s recent cracks about Gov. Sarah Palin are no laughing matter, according to a Boston women’s shelter.

Officials at Rosie’s Place cut the comedian as a headliner from an annual benefit after she joked that Palin would be “gang-raped by my big black brothers” if she ever visited New York City.

Bernhard made the joke last month at a one-woman show in Washington shortly before the Republican vice presidential hopeful hit NYC to campaign. (She also criticized Palin for opposing abortion rights.)

Rosie’s Place public relations director Leemarie Mosca said many women at the shelter have been victims of violence, and “we don’t think violence against women is a laughing matter.”

Added Mosca, “Right now, our main focus is our event and making sure the event is a success,” Mosca told the AP. “And for us, that means not including Sandra Bernhard at this time.”

On her Web site, Bernhard said the gang-rape joke was part of a larger piece from her show about “racism, freedom, women’s rights, and the extreme views of Gov. Sarah Palin – a woman who doesn’t believe that other women should have the right to choose.”

Said the comedian: “I certainly wish Gov. Palin no harm – I’d just like her to explain to me how she can hold such outrageous views … and then go back to Alaska.”

[From Us Weekly]

Bernhard has always been one of those extreme-style comedians and personally, I’ve never found her all that funny. It seems like her act has always been based on her ability to shock the audience, and that’s about it. No wonder she and Madonna were best buddies. While I’m not a fan of Palin’s conservative social views, I think Bernhard’s comment was out of line and not remotely funny – which is an even worse charge to a so-called comedian. Joking about gang rape probably isn’t such a smart move at a benefit for a women’s shelter, so it makes sense that the Boston organization wouldn’t want her there.

Sandra Bernhard is shown at the 2008 Trevor Project New York Gala on 6/30/08. Credit: Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos

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26 Responses to “Sandra Bernhard dropped from women’s shelter event for Sarah Palin remarks”

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  1. GirlyGirl says:

    That is one. ugly. woman. Obviously in more ways than one. 😯

  2. geronimo says:

    Whoa. What’s with the face? Looks like she’s ODd on botox or something?

    Is there a right place for a ‘joke’ like that? Because I can’t think of one. Liked her at one point but then she lost the funny and now reminds me of Roseanne, another comedy-free zone.

  3. wow says:

    Good riddance

  4. kate says:

    i’ve never found her funny at all. the gangraping “joke” sounds like something john mc cain would say, as he has a history of telling jokes like that (if in doubt just google john mc cain gorilla joke and see results). if it were a man who said that sandra would be the first one to call him on it. girlfriend can’t have it both ways.

  5. KERRI says:

    Her face matches her “ugly” humor.

  6. clare says:

    Kerri, I was thinking the same thing!

  7. Codzilla says:

    I wonder how Sandra’s “big black brothers” feel about the implication that they’d be willing to gang rape Palin, or any woman for that matter.

    That top picture is … I don’t even know. 😳

  8. Syko says:

    She’s always been ugly. It’s not too much botox or surgery gone bad, she’s just ugly and not all that funny.

    I have no use at all for Sarah Palin, trying not to imagine the horror if she actually becomes vice president – but this “joke” isn’t funny. Wish for her to go back to Alaska – but don’t wish for anyone to be raped by anyone.

  9. 99 says:

    So, so, so tired of vulgarity and base crassness substituting for humor. Comedy involves intelligence and she obviously has none.

    And good point, Codzilla. New York is obviously filled with violent, militant black rapists and thugs ready and willing to commit heinous crimes at the drop of a dime! Scary! Better watch out white women everywhere !!!
    Ridiculous! Isn’t that promoting a racist stereotype that is just as offensive as the rape “joke” itself.

    No, Sandra, the New York black men you speak of are not down, sorry.

  10. daisy424 says:

    She’s an angry bitter woman 😕

  11. vdantev says:

    She looks like she got beat down with a hammer and then put back together wrong.

  12. Kaiser says:

    That “joke” would have been ridiculous even without the mention of Sarah Palin.

    But yes, McCain has a history of rape jokes, and Palin has a history of taking advantage of rape victims. I refuse to take their side on anything.

  13. JaundiceMachine says:

    Horrible joke. It’s insulting to all parties involved.

    A funny Palin joke would go a little something like this: So if Sarah Palin is pro-family and anti-abortions even in the case of rape, what happens if a rape victim gets pregnant from her attacker? Will Palin insist that she marry her rapist?

    Wait. That’s not funny, either. 🙁

  14. drm says:

    I don’t like Ms Palin at all but Sandra Bernhard was OOL. What has she done to her face!!! She was always unusual looking but this is really bizarre, she reminds me of a pug dog…and I don’t mean that in a snarky way, that is truly what the shape of her face reminds me of!!

  15. Syko says:

    drm, I was actually thinking she looks better than she used to. 😕

  16. Jim Treacher says:

    “Palin has a history of taking advantage of rape victims.”

    Myth.

    Busted.

  17. daisy424 says:

    Thanks for the link Jim. Huffington Post states something about a joke that McCain allegedly made about an woman and an ape 22 years ago.

  18. Cowbell says:

    Am I the only one who saw Pali on Charlie Gibson’s interview tell him that she personally doesn’t believe in abortion in any case, but that she doesn’t think anyone who has an abortion should go to jail? Why do these celebrties make this crap up about her taking away women’s rights? Just say you want Obama to win! That’s enough without making stuff up.

    SB should have the same thing done to her that she wishes on Palin.

  19. Mark says:

    Bless her heart.

  20. DogRunner says:

    What a nasty woman!

  21. aspen says:

    Am I the only person on the PLANET who gets pissed when people trash Obama unfairly AND when they trash McCain/Palin? I mean…you are not doing anyone any good,and you do the nation GREAT harm, when you say things like, “Sarah Palin charges rape victims for their rape kits and she thinks women who get an abortion should be put in jail.” You see NOTHING wrong with saying filth like that…but you’ll go off in a rage when someone says something equally retarded about the Obamas…like the whole “Michelle isn’t proud of her country” crap or the “Obama won’t put his hand on his heart” or “Obama wasn’t really born here” nonsense. Try getting pissed off about all of it. It’ll make you a better person and give you an adult perspective. You don’t have to hate people to disagree with them…and people who disagree with you are not necessarily evil, bad people. Sarah Palin is a good and respectable person in high office with an extraordinary approval rating. She’s not retarded and she’s not evil. So…just freaking STOP.

  22. stellapurdy says:

    Cowbell, Palin is a well known liar, see “The Bridge to Nowhere”. What makes you think she was telling Charlie Gibson the truth?

    Oh, and what happened to Bernhard’s face?

  23. Lola says:

    Ewww what a disgrace. I actually like Palin, I just think she is in the wrong position. I empathise with her too. Above all things, I am entertained by her circular answers.

  24. daisy424 says:

    Stellapurdy check this out 😉
    http://www.wtop.com/?sid=1469875&nid=213

  25. Jeanne says:

    What a snaggletooth! She looks so angry. She hasn’t aged well. I wonder if Madonna would sleep with her now.

  26. pozinprov says:

    Have you heard? Sandra Bernhard is advertising with the Boston Gay Mens Chorus on Manhunt.net. I know, not all that classy, being an anonymous sexual hookup site and all. And they even contributed the max to the Campaign fund.
    But what is more disturbing is that the website owners let their member, and even encourage slurs against HIV positive gay men. Being called unclean, dirty and diseased, being told not to exist, these are all very acceptable.
    So far, neither Sandra nor her manager have commented, nor has the chorus.