According to the Huffington Post on Feb. 21, a commercial for Israel’s satellite television provider Yes, featuring comedienne Julia Louis-Dreyfus, has been pulled because of an obvious and intentional insult to fat people.
In the commercial, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is seen rubbing the belly of a larger co-worker, congratulating her on being pregnant. She later apologizes to the office by saying, “I would like to apologize to Betty for thinking that she was pregnant. Obviously, she hasn’t dated anyone forever and uh, yeah, you need a man to …uh … so, um … I’m sorry!”
The satellite provider Yes also owns rights to HBO, including “Veep,” the show Louis-Dreyfus currently stars in. The company pulled the commercial from the airwaves and from You Tube. Right now, it’s not available anywhere online.
The ad was pulled in response to a formal complaint from Israel’s Yedid Association for Community Empowerment, which reads: “There are a lot of weight-challenged individuals in Israel who are treated in an irreverent and hurtful manner. There is no justification to illustrate a stigma which suggests a larger woman is either pregnant or simply too fat for anyone to consider going out with.”
Satellite provider Yes issued an apology in The Jerusalem Post, claiming it was not their intent to offend.
“This is a humorous advert based on the style for which the actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus is known. The message of the advert is how to deal with mistakes and if there is someone presented in a ridiculous light, then it is Julia – who makes the mistake [in the advert]. There was never any intention to upset the public in any way, and if someone feels personally offended, we apologize for that.”
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