UPDATED VERSION: During the MDA Labor Day Telethon, Jerry Lewis went off on a riff with one of the cameramen. During the bit, he used the words “illiterate faggot.” (It appears he was referring to one of the cameras, not one of the cameraman’s family members. Hard to explain – watch the bit.) In a statement issued to the media, Lewis apologized:
I apologize to anyone who was offended. I obviously made a bad choice of words. Everyone who knows me understands that I hold no prejudices in this regard. In the family atmosphere of the telethon, I forgot that not everyone knows me that well. That something like this would distract from the true purpose of the telethon pains me deeply. The success of the show and all the good that will come from it shouldn’t be lost because of one unfortunate word. I accept responsibility for what I said. There are no excuses. I am sorry.
Earlier on Lost Remote we had embedded video of this that was hosted by DailyMotion but it has been taken down.