The cancel mob has come for left-wing comedian Randy Rainbow, who is scrambling to apologize for past tweets in which he made ethnic and transgender jokes. Rainbow is a darling among the left-wing political and cultural elite for his anti-Trump YouTube videos, as well as his recent “Kamala!” song that went viral thanks to retweets from Hollywood actors Ben Stiller, Eric McCormack, and Mark Hamill.
Rainbow’s old tweets resurfaced thanks to a spreadsheet circulating online that catalogues jokes mocking blacks, Latinos, and Asians. In several jokes, he used the word “tranny” to refer to transgender individuals. The word, which was commonplace just ten years ago, is now considered a slur by the LGBT community.
Randy Rainbow — yes, that’s his real name — told the gay magazine The Advocate that he was “sorry” for his past tweets and that he didn’t mean to offend anyone.
“Twitter has recently reminded me about 10 years ago, in my maiden quest to be funny, I tweeted some jokes that were completely offensive and insensitive to look back on them now, especially with no context or nuance and through the prism of where we are in 2020 with racial inequality and the fight for social justice, which I’m proudly a part of,” he told the magazine.
“In light of issues that are now at the forefront, which I’m passionate about and have spoken up about over the years, these tweets just sound racist and awful. I’m embarrassed by them. They make me sick to my stomach, in fact, and I deeply apologize to anyone I offended.”
Rainbow added: “I’m a gay Jew who was brought up in a very open, accepting family. There is not a racist or intolerant bone in my body. When I say that I have evolved with the times, I mean that my comedy has. I did not need to be taught not to be racist or transphobic because I never was.”
The spreadsheet contains nearly 20 jokes about black people. “Black & White cookies R a delicious metaphor for racial harmony :) But they taste better if U keep both halves segregated. I mean separated!” Rainbow tweeted in 2010.
There are also seven jokes making fun of Latinos. “This snow is like all the guys I sleep with: Looks all white & pretty now but by morning it’ll seem more Hispanic & my wallet will be gone,” he tweeted in 2011.
Randy Rainbow alleged to The Advocate that he is being “threatened” and “harassed” for his old tweets. He also claimed that he is being targeted because of his effectiveness against the political right.
“It’s no coincidence that it’s happening in the midst of a very contentious election because I use my platform every day to speak truth to power and shine a light on inequities and injustices of the world, and expose truly intolerant and racist people,” he said.
Rainbow’s “Kamala!” song — which is parody of “Camelot!” — became a social media sensation thanks to retweets from entertainment and media personalities, including CNN’s Ana Navarro and fashion mogul Kenneth Cole. Other actors who gave Rainbow a social media boost include Henry Winkler, Lea Thompson, and Joely Fisher.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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