One of the only jokes Robin Williams apologised for
With wit far quicker than any of his contemporaries, the energy of a small child and jaw-dropping improvisation skills, Robin Williams established himself as a true comedy genius. From his early stand-up routines to his later performances in film and television, Williams always captivated his audience with his heartfelt humour.
Not only could Williams provoke and prod, but he was also capable of exploring themes of deep poignancy and vulnerability. However, like any comic worth their salt, on a handful of occasions, Williams took his brand of intellectual humour just a touch too far, which occasionally led to him having to backtrack on his words in moments of apology.
Back in 2009, Williams made the news headlines in Brazil for the wrong reasons after he appeared on the David Letterman show. Williams’ appearance had come on the same day that Rio de Janeiro had been announced as the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, and he took the opportunity to flex his comedic muscles.
Williams joked that Rio had beaten Chicago to become the host city, even though Chicago had Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama as proponents of its Olympic potential because Rio and Brazil had offered the International Olympic Committee “50 strippers and one pound of cocaine”. The joke got some laughs but led to offence in Brazil and Williams to make a rare apology.
“Can I apologise now? It is about that joke I did,” Williams later said in an interview with the O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper. “I read an article about robbery and kidnappings in Brazil. Then they chose Rio, you know? I found out that some Brazilian politicians were very angry at me. And all I could say in Portuguese was ‘Tudo bem?’ and ‘Obrigado’.”
He added: “I said that Chicago sent Oprah and Michelle Obama, while Brazilians sent strippers and cocaine. Damn, I offended everybody! I’m sorry! That’s what happens in comedy. When you cross that line, some people will laugh, and some people will get offended.”
As one of comedy’s all-time greats, Williams understood the potential to offend people with jokes, but more importantly, he knew when to take a step back and realise when he had gone too far, which is also a sign of a comic genius. Having a fearless approach to comedy is part of the job, as it was a rare case for Williams to overstep the mark, but this was an instance where he had to backtrack on his words.
