There are always comedians willing to “breach the line” of propriety with controversial humor. One of the most sensitive contemporary topics that has been broached by comedians in recent weeks is July 20’s Aurora, Colo. shooting. And despite inevitable backlash and complete lack of tact, comedian Jeffrey Ross decided to take his chances: The comic delivered a pair of jokes about the event and shooter James Holmes during the Sunday taping of The Comedy Central Roast of Roseanne, which is set to air on Aug. 10. The network clearly appreciates the sensitivity of the subject matter — Hollywood.com has confirmed with Comedy Central that Ross’ jokes will be removed from the final broadcast.
Both of the jokes were delivered at the direct expense of co-roaster Seth Green. In regards to Green’s red hair and physical appearance, Ross initially jabbed, “This is actually a really big night for you. You haven’t gotten this much attention since you shot all those people in Aurora.” Following the jab (which was met with mixed reactions from the crowd), Ross added, “I’m kidding! You’re not like James Holmes. At least he’s doing something in a movie theater that people remember.”
Ross is not the first comedian to reference the shootings. Dane Cook, who delivered a joke during his performance at Los Angeles’ The Laugh Factory, recognized the insensitivity in his act and published an apology on Twitter.
[Photo: David Edwards/Daily Celeb]
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