I couldn't help but notice a slew of responses in my timeline over the past twelve hours to my tweet about @janoskians' video of a baby being sexually harassed, to the distress of her mother. (This was not a sketch with actors, btw.)

Most of the responses have come from young girls who don't yet know better, and range from 'you faggot' to 'you bald faggot' to 'you fat bald faggot' to 'Get cancer'- and those are just the printable ones. Given that @janoskians publicly support anti-bullying, it's a shame that this message is clearly lost on some of their most ardent fans.

A couple of @janoskians themselves even tweeted. One seemed remorseful, the other thanked me for the exposure.

To make it clear, I do support new comedians. And I don't think @janoskians are without talent. Nor do I fail to appreciate the best of hidden camera comedy, having had the opportunity to write for both Johnny Knoxville and Sacha Baron Cohen, two of the funniest and most brilliant men alive.

I'll be in Melbourne in August. I'll happily meet up with @janoskians for a cup of tea. Who knows? Maybe together we can create something that uses the best of what they do and moves it forward, because there's clearly an eager audience out there ready for that. Which is great.

Matt

ps Those of you who said that I am not allowed to voice my opinions because I made jokes about disabled people, Andy in Little Britain isn't actually disabled. But I hope I have the humility also to acknowledge that there are still plenty of times we crossed the line. It happens when you're young. Failure is no bad thing, if you can grow from your mistakes.

pps it's all got a bit serious, hasn't it? I'm off to watch Jackass.

Reply · Report Post