Getty Image / Slaven Vlasic
‘SNL’ alumnus Rob Schneider was in the news this week for an incident that happened a few months back.
Apparently, he was hired to perform stand-up at a private gala but proceeded to deliver a set that was deemed to be “so off-color and off-putting” that at least one prominent member of the audience walked out and Schneider‘s set which was supposed to be 30 minutes was cut short to just 10 minutes.
Eli Okun of Politico got the scoop. This apparently happened in NYC at the Senate Working Group holiday gala which was held at the Waldorf Astoria. In Monday’s ‘playbook,’ the story was revealed which claims “the show was supposed to last at least a half-hour, but SWG executive director James Kimmey stopped it within 10 minutes after the comedian made “raunchy” and inappropriate jokes.”
As for the nature of the set, it was claimed that Rob Schneider started making jokes about people of Asian descent and made one joke about “Korean w—- houses.” A spokesperson for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Mississippi, called the set “gross and vulgar” and added “She didn’t have to listen to it and so she got up and left.”
Things got so bad that the 150 attendees, which included 40 Senate Chiefs of Staff, all received an apology email which supposedly read “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.”
Apparently, there was a verbal agreement to keep the stand-up set “relatively clean” but the report in Politico states that Rob Schneider disregarded that and dove into his normal jokes.
Rob Schneider is currently on a comedy tour including dates in exotic locations like Homestead, Pennsylvania and Black River Walls, Wisconsin. He still fills local comedy clubs and actually has a few dates queued up in Australia. According to stories I’ve heard around down, Schneider was a huge hit in my hometown here in Sarasota, Florida when he was in town.