Times change and so does the language deemed acceptable when it comes to comedy — for proof, check out Eddie Murphy’s 1982 standup special “Delirious”, which was acclaimed at the time yet would likely see Murphy branded a homophobe for some of the material and words used.
The same holds true for Chris Rock’s 2008 special “Kill the Messenger”, which is being yanked off Delta Airlines’ in-flight entertainment programming after a passenger complained about an anti-gay slur the comic uses in one of his routines.
“The ‘Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger’ segment should not have been uploaded on flights based on our criteria for excluding onboard programming that includes content featuring explicit language, slurs, extreme violence, and explicit scenes,” the airline said in a statement provided to Entertainment Weekly. “We apologize to any customers who were offended by the content or our airing of the segment, and we are working as quickly as possible to remove it from our aircraft. Our commitment to inclusion and respect of all customers is rooted in Delta’s values and culture, and we proudly embrace diverse people, thinking and styles.”
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According to GayTravel.com, which initially reported the story, the complaint was lodged by Jeremy Foreshew, who works for the gay-centric Grindr app and pointed out a routine in which Rock discusses when it’s appropriate to use an anti-gay slur that rhymes with “maggot.”
“When you think of the number of people who fly Delta every day and have access to that language … it just shocked me,” Foreshew told GayTravel.com. ”
Ironically, reports EW, Delta’s decision to axe the Rock routine comes shortly after the airline was taken to task for removing all the same-sex love scenes — including kissing — from its edited in-flight version of the lesbian romantic drama “Carol”, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.
