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Variety

Why the Special Olympics Has a Problem With a Showtime Special

Apr 27, 2016  •  Post A Comment

The Special Olympics organization is letting Showtime know it’s not happy about a special that has been airing on the pay cable channel. Variety reports that the organization launched a petition against the channel and comedian Gary Owen over his comedy special “I Agree With Myself.”

The problem includes his use of the word “retarded,” along with his material mocking the Special Olympics. The organization’s chair, Tim Shriver, has reportedly contacted Showtime boss David Nevins to ask that the offending parts of the program be removed.

The program premiered on Showtime in early 2015 and most recently aired this week. Some of the comedian’s material is about his cousin Tina, who he says is “retarded.” “She’s not slow,” he says in the performance. “It’s full-blown. It is what it is.”

“He then goes on to describe learning that she had an STD, and make jokes about her having sex,” Variety notes.

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2 Comments

  1. And this kind of stuff is considered “comedy” in today’s culture. Meh!

  2. Yes, this kind of stuff is considered comedy is EVERY culture. Laughing at ourselves, and our friends’ and family’s failings (in this case, a cousin with developmental disability) is a part of stand-up comedy.

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