Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 10, 1993 TAG: 9310100172
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
"I was confused as to whether or not I was at a Friars event or at a rally for the KKK and Aryan Nation," Williams said in a telegram to the Friars announcing his resignation from the entertainment industry club.
Friars' roasts traditionally are down and dirty, no-holds-barred affairs at which the guest of honor is skewered by jokes that often are crude. The roastee then gets a chance to respond in kind.
But the city's first black mayor said later that the jokes at Friday's roast "were pretty vulgar, and many were way, way over the line."
Not so, Goldberg said in a statement Saturday, saying she was roasted "with humor and a great deal of affection."
The uproar came over Danson's arrival on the dais at the 89th annual roast. The Emmy-winning "Cheers" star was in Jolson-esque blackface, with huge white lips, wearing a tuxedo and top hat.
Danson reportedly used the word "nigger" several times during his bit, and joked about his sex life with Goldberg.
Goldberg began her rebuttal: "Nigger, nigger, nigger, whitey, whitey, whitey. It takes a whole lot of [courage] to come out in blackface . . . I don't care if you don't like it. I do."
Black model Beverly Johnson also defended Danson's performance.
"If you can't see the humor at a place where there's supposed to be over-the-line jokes, then there's something really wrong," she told the Daily News.
"I was in stitches," she added. "These are two people who are really, really in love with each other, and they show the world that all boundaries are down."
Goldberg said in her statement Saturday that she knew what Danson and other speakers were planning and that "made the day particularly fun because these were people who love me.
"If people on the dais and in the audience were not aware of what the day was supposed to consist of, they should have checked to see what the tenor of these roasts is, and then made a decision as to whether or not they wanted to participate."
Among those in attendance were Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Robin Williams, Natalie Cole and Sugar Ray Leonard. Women on the dais included Anita Baker, Shari Belafonte, Natalie Cole, Jasmine Guy and Vanessa Williams.
Dinkins, who left early, said he was embarrassed for Goldberg and felt "a tremendous sense of relief when it was over. Notwithstanding the importance of the Friars Club . . . today is not a day any of its members is likely to recall fondly. Nor will I."
Publicists for Danson did not return phone messages Saturday.
Bob Saks, chairman of the Friars Club celebrity luncheons, said Danson's routine was misconstrued.
"This is a man that is in love with this woman," Saks said. "They are a couple. Their friends are there. It's a private party. Whoopi and Ted, after the luncheon, felt the same way about each other as they did before."
In a statement Saturday, the Friars said they were "saddened by the racially offensive nature of some of the material . . . We apologize to Mayor Dinkins, Montel Williams and all others who were offended by the racial remarks."
by CNB