From here:
NOVEMBER 11--Comedian Bill Maher was slapped yesterday with a $9 million palimony suit by an ex-girlfriend who alleges that the HBO star subjected her to physical and verbal abuse, including "insulting, humiliating and degrading racial comments." In the below Los Angeles Superior Court complaint, Nancy Johnson, a centerfold model and former flight attendant also known as Coco Johnsen, alleges that Maher, 48, reneged on promises to pay her expenses and purchase a Beverly Hills home. Johnson, who says she dated Maher for 17 months before splitting from him in May, also contends that the performer promised to marry her and have children. Johnson, pictured at right, does not detail the degrading racial comments allegedly made by Maher, and recounts only one episode of supposed physical abuse by the host of HBO's "Real Time." She charges that Maher pulled her arm and shook her at one party, causing "injuries to her back and neck," and later that evening warned he'd hit her on the head with a hammer if she was unfaithful.
Sounds "politically incorrect" alright...
Of course, he's innocent until proven guilty and all that. But he always struck me as an arrogant jerk. I'm not terribly surprised that he got hit with a lawsuit of this sort.
I am rather surprised, however, that Maher has "jungle fever." He seemed more like the type who went after mindless 19-year old, 90-pound white sorority chicks. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - bhw
Of course, I don't know if these allegations are true, but Maher has struck me as a misongynist. He calls his female guests "honey" in a nasty little tone after berating them for daring to have an opinion [which would be why they were on the show, right?]. His general tone toward women on the show is not good, and some of the comments he's made about women are pretty creepy too. Example: single women vote Democrat because they want someone to take care of them and since they don't have a man, they need the government.
So I'm not having the "holy cow -- really?" response to this story.
2 - Padhraic
jungle fever?
3 - rabit
So if you use a cheap racist term like, say, "junge fever" in quotes, then you're being funny and not racist in any way, right?
4 - empath
Worse than O'Reilly? Hmmm. Which of those books are moralizing tracts about how we should live our lives? I don't think Maher is "Looking Out for You", nor has he written a "Survuval Guide for American Families". Besides, the lawsuit seems a little fishy too me. Maher makes a living with "insulting, humiliating and degrading comments"(racial or not), and he has publicly vowed never to get married or have children. Physical abuse is another thing altogether, but the "mental abuse" seems just like his public persona. It is really great, as well, to see someone try to slam someone else's morality and then end their comments with a racist term like "jungle fever". Nice one, RJ!
5 - music gifts
Nice...so whats the point? that Maher is a pig like O'reilly or that you like the fact that he dates black women???
6 - RJ
For the ignorant: "jungle fever" is a slang term for those who are interested in inter-racial relationships. It was coined by Spike Lee, a black man, who made a film titled, oddly enough, Jungle Fever.
It's hardly "racist" to use the term.
7 - empath
Black people in general and rappers in particular use the "n-word" all the time, that doesnt mean it isnt racist or that you get to use it. Plus, the movie "Jungle Fever" was about the trouble that such relationships bring, not some celebration of them. There is a bit of tongue and cheek to using the title in the first place. It's certainly not the most odious term in the lexicon, but coming in a snide slam from you it just seems a little suspect.
8 - Matt
RJ--How can you possibly try and compare Maher to O'Reilly? Did I miss the part of your post that mentioned that the woman WORKED for Maher?
Please explain, in a lucid fashion, how Maher is WORSE than O'Reilly when O'Reilly settled out of court for sexual harrasment and Maher is being slapped with a palimony suit as a result of a private relationship not involved with his show?
And empath, you stole my thinder about O'Reilly's books. I'll take O'Reilly's advice about my family as soon as I start listening to that sanctimonious prick Bill Bennett lecture me about responsible gambling, or Rush "Vicodin" Limbaugh on legally obtaining prescription meds.
O'Reilly's suit just further shows the hypocrisy of the right. Maher has never preached about morals, other than to say the religious fanatics shouldn't impose them on the other half of the country that doesn't share them.
9 - bhw
Matt, I agree with you about right-wing hypocrites, but Maher is being accused of physical abuse and threats, not just verbal abuse. It doesn't matter if it happened in a work environment or not. In fact, domestic violence, to me, is worse than sexual harassment at the office.
What any woman sees in Bill Maher in the first place -- aside from his money and fame -- is beyond me.
10 - Vic
"...just further shows the hypocrisy of the right." [emphasis added]
Sigh.
Like the Left doesn't have any hypocrisy in it? Have you seen the recent report ranking the most "giving" states as far as charity and percentage of income? Nine of the ten least giving states were Kerry states in the last election, and out of those nine, four of them were the top states as far as average income.
So Dems want the poor to be cared for as long as it doesn't come directly from their pocketbooks, is that right?
Here are a couple of references:
Miami Herald article
List of states, ranked by Generosity Index
I'm just trying to make a point that neither side is squeaky clean.
Vic
11 - Mac Diva
Spike Lee was mocking the use of the phrase "jungle fever," which originated with white racists. (Something I'm sure RJ Elliott knows.)
Any woman of color who has been in the news business knows that Bill Maher likes sisters.* However, the feedback I've heard is that he treats women well, despite his playboy image. I've never heard Maher say anything racist, in real life or on television. We'll see how the situation plays out.
*The Diva would have held out for Robert De Niro if she were into celebrities.
12 - MCH
I could be wrong here, but I sense - reading between the lines of the post - that maybe Bobby Elliott is a little bit jealous...(?) Just a hunch.
13 - RJ
"Please explain, in a lucid fashion, how Maher is WORSE than O'Reilly"
- O'Reilly allegedly had phone sex with a co-worker.
- Maher allegedly threatened to smash his girlfriend in the head with a hammer, and physically abused her.
Lucid enough for ya?
14 - Brady
Fucking ridiculous as we have no proof either way to judge the man (especially vis a vis O' Reilly who is an obvious fascist) except the words of a jilted lover. Bill may have a temper but until proof is shown that he is a serial batterer he still is way farther up on the food chain than O'Reilly and his cronies in NeoConville. Misoginist is a title that is bandied about a little too liberally for my taste. A healthy contempt for both sexes is neccesary to navigate the murky waters of amour. Anyway, remember Patrick Swayze's character in "Donnie Darko" and Ted Bundy; fucking hiding behind a veil of decency and republicanism. At least Maher makes pretty obvious his dislikes. Concerning the "Jungle Fever" thing, it can be a bit offensive if one doesn't have more of a context for it ( and that doesn't include a mediochre Spike Lee film). And besides, just because you like one sister it doesn't mean that's all you like - Even Deniro switches it up I've heard.
15 - andy marsh
obviously a fascist...based on what??? I personally don't like the guy...but you base this dumb ass claim on what???
16 - RJ
Re: "jungle fever"
I honestly had no idea I would get this kind of reaction. I have used this phrase before in conversations with friends and co-workers, and it was always taken as semi-humorous, hardly offensive.
I have also had black people joke about it to me in conversations (oh, damn, looks like so-and-so has got himself a case of jungle fever!).
So, I honestly meant no offense, if anyone was truly offended.
Re: "O'Reilly is an obvious fascist"
This is the sort of comment that makes you look just plain silly. It's such a dumb statement that it negates the value of anything else you said.
The word "fascist" is thrown around quite a bit by the Left. They also throw around "Nazi" "racist" "bigot" etc. Such overuse devalues the power of these terms. It therefore strips them of any real meaning.
Think about it.
17 - Natalie Davis
RJ Elliott: Worse than Bill Maher?
18 - RJ
Very deep, Nat.
BTW: Have you emigrated yet?
19 - Natalie Davis
How presumptuous you are to use a familiarity with me, Mr. Elliott. You are not my friend. How dare you.
As to your query, as has been stated before, I will escape when I have the means to do so.
In the meantime, the ignore filter is on.
20 - curt
"o'reilly allegedly had phone sex with a co-worker."
ummm, bobby (rj)...settling out of court for $2 million plus sorta removes the "allegedly"...
21 - Eric Olsen
A few thoughts:
they both are self-absorbed assholes: Maher exhibits aspects of "little man syndrome"; O'Reilly is paternalistic, pompous, and puffed up with self-righteousness - fuck them both, metaphorically speaking
RJ's use of "jungle fever," I believe, was clearly meant to be tongue in cheek and thereby humorous and not offensive, but RJ sometimes has a tin ear for such things, no?
And as others have said, the term has around for a long time
22 - curt
just because a "term has been around for a long time," does that make it alright? for example...the "n" word.
23 - Natalie Davis
Precisely. It could not be that Maher just found this Nancy/Coco to be an attractive woman, could it? No, the melanin must be an issue, in the eyes of too many people.
Yeah, Maher seems like an arrogant, mysogynist prick, but he doesn't pretend to be anything other than what he is like some others do. His refusal to marry or have kids is well known and on the record. He does seems to suffer from little-man syndrome. I agree (and I am a fan of much of Maher's humor): Fuck him and O'Reilly too. And fuck anybody -- including Spike Lee -- who makes melanin an issue in relationships. The term "jungle fever" is offensive on its face; I'm sure this Nancy/Coco wouldn't know a jungle if she tripped over it. Can't two people who dig each other just be allowed to dig each other (sans abuse) without color-focused idiots casting aspersions? Sheesh.
24 - Eric Olsen
I agree Nat that love should be allowed to be color blind, but I would say this is one area where there really has been a lot of change for the better over the last couple of decades. A lot of people still make note of it, but, I think, are a lot less judgmental than they used to be.
25 - andy marsh
I moved back here to Va. Beach a little over a year ago...I was living out in the Phoenix area...I have a cousin out there that I grew up with in NJ who married a great guy about 15 years ago...Shelly is a very successful business man and takes great care of my cousin and their 2 kids. Even though I've been called a racist on this site, my cousin felt that I was one of the only east coast marsh's that she could invite to her wedding back in the day. She told me that she thought I was open minded enough to except the fact that she was happy, and I was. In case you haven't figured it out yet, Shelly's black.
Anyway, one of my more 'redneck' neighbors out there in sunny Surprise, AZ asked me that ugly redneck question one day...what would you do if one of your daughters dated or married out side her race? At the time, I said, if he's a good guy and good to my daughter, so be it.
A few days later I was playing golf with Shelly and I told him about this conversation...he stopped me dead...he said, outside her race? you mean like a horse or a pig or something like that???
It had never even occured to me how seriously wrong my redneck neighbor had been in just the wording of the question until Shelly had put it that way! He's a pretty smart guy, my cousin.
We are all part of the human race, there are good guys and bad guys and they come in all colors!
That's my 2 cents worth!