Natalie Morales Calls Christopher Hitchens an ‘A–hole’ for Saying Women Aren’t Funny
Natalie Morales didn’t mince words about Christopher Hitchens’ infamous assertion that women can’t be funny.
The “Access Hollywood” and “Today” host called the late British journalist an “a–hole” in two separate instances during Universal’s CinemaCon presentation. Morales was emceeing the event and introducing footage from “Girls’ Trip,” an ensemble comedy with Queen Latifah.
In his 2007 Vanity Fair essay, Hitchens wrote, that “bless their tender hearts,” women aren’t as funny as men. Hitchens died of esophageal cancer in 2011.
“There are more terrible female comedians than there are terrible male comedians, but there are some impressive ladies out there. Most of them, though, when you come to review the situation, are hefty or dykey or Jewish, or some combo of the three,” Hitchens wrote in the controversial essay. “When Roseanne stands up and tells biker jokes and invites people who don’t dig her shtick to suck her dick — know what I am saying?”
The following year, Alessandra Stanley wrote a rebuttal, also in Vanity Fair, titled, “Who Says Women Aren’t Funny?” Despite the backlash, Hitchens doubled down on his stance, saying in an interview with VF, “I’m not saying that there aren’t great female comedians. There are many, many, many. That’s not the same as the female sense of humor.”
“Girls Trip” focuses on a group of women who go to New Orleans for the Essence Music Festival, where they generally get up to Big Easy-style trouble.
“This was the first time I got to be really wild in a movie,” co-star Tiffany Haddish said.
Latifah and Haddish was also joined on stage by Jada Pinkett Smith and Regina Hall. The women said they grew close during the filming, and added that the movie is an accurate portrait of female fun.
“Women really do let loose,” said Latifah
Universal also showed a clip of funny films with female leads and key supporting parts — a group of films that included “Bridesmaids” and “Sisters.”
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