Like most late night talk show hosts, Chelsea Handler is a comedian who loves to target celebrities with her sharp wit. However, a recent joke got her into some trouble with her network. According to zap2it.com on Jan. 18, Comcast was not amused and warned Handler to lay off jokes about "Today" show star Matt Lauer.
The joke came after "Today" cast member Al Roker admitted that he once pooped his pants at the White House. Handler then quipped that "For years it was common knowledge that Matt Lauer spent every morning s***ing all over Ann Curry."
Over the last year, Lauer has received a lot of criticism for the treatment of journalist Ann Curry by NBC. Rumors swirled that Lauer and Curry did not get along and Lauer politicked for NBC to remove Curry from her anchor position on "Today." NBC did remove her, and since then the show has plummeted in the ratings, falling behind rival show "Good Morning America."
Recently, Curry received a chance to go to CNN if NBC releases her from her contract, but NBC has refused to answer her request yet. Matt Lauer, maybe trying to save face, has spoken up and asked for Curry to get her release so she can move on and do what she loves somewhere else.
Handler's show is on E! while "Today" is on NBC, and both networks are owned by Comcast. The site reports that Comcast told Chelsea Handler not to make jokes about Lauer anymore and to not discuss the Ann Curry situation as well. E! denied the allegations and say no demands were ever made.
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Shawn S. Lealos is a member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, the professional film critics’ organization of Oklahoma. He is also working on a book about the Stephen King dollar babies called “Dollar Deal.” To read more of his writing, visit shawnlealos.net.
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