Rob Schneider Denies ‘Vulgar’ Comedy Was Cut Short At Republican Gala
Comedian Rob Schneider is denying reports that he was cut off during a performance at a holiday gala full of high-profile Republican politicians late last year for making inappropriate jokes,
Apr. 15 2024, Published 7:45 p.m. ET
Politico’s Daniel Lipmann first reported the former Saturday Night Live cast member was stopped after 10 minutes during what was supposed to be a 30-minute set at the Waldorf Astoria.
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Schneider allegedly made “raunchy” remarks, including some aimed at Asian people, like a quip about “Korean w—-houses,” according to the article. His set was “so off-color and off-putting” that it prompted the host of the event, Senate Working Group Director James Kinney, to stop the performance, Lipmann wrote.
But the Deuce Bigalow actor told TMZ the report was false, and that he actually performed a 50-minute set without interruption.
“Nobody removed me from stage, somebody waved to me at the 50 minute mark,” Schneider said.
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Schneider has denied the claims in the Politico report.
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He did not, however, deny the claim that he cracked jokes about “Korean w—-houses,” and defended the remarks as successful standup bits that were also in his Netflix comedy special.
“I’m not changing my material or apologizing for my jokes to anybody. Enough with this woke bulls—, America’s sick of it,” Schneider said. “I did 50 minutes because that’s what I was paid to do.”
The former SNL actor and writer said he was paid $50,000 to perform at the gala.
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Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith walked out of Schneider’s set because it was so “gross and vulgar,” Politico reported.
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However, Politico’s article said Schneider neglected to follow an agreement he made with the event coordinators to keep his set “relatively clean.”
The outlet also reported that one of the attendees, Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, chose to leave because her spokesperson said she found Schneider’s routine “gross and vulgar.”
“She didn’t have to listen to it and so she got up and left,” the representative reportedly said.
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Schneider had apparently neglected to follow an agreement he made with the event coordinators to keep his set “relatively clean,” according to Politico.
The outlet said all 150 attendees received an apology email the next day, reading: “While we do our best to ensure every aspect of our program is professional, courteous, and appropriate, we sincerely regret that the entertainment at last night’s program fell short of that goal.”
The guests at the event included more than 40 Senate chiefs of staff and other former and current GOP members.
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Schneider was an SNL cast member and writer and appeared in several Adam Sandler movies.
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While the gala was the scene of his latest controversy, the actor has been criticized in the past for his controversial comedy bits aimed at minorities.
A 2017 article by The Daily Beast detailed Schneider’s “long history of perpetuating racial stereotypes,” perhaps most notably through his roles in various Adam Sandler movies.
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Schneider, who is one-quarter Filipino, has played characters who are Middle Eastern, Asian, and “vaguely Latino,” among others.
He even went so far as to appear in “brownface” in the 2008 film You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, playing a Palestinian cab driver who was also a terrorist.
