Actor and comedian Rob Schneider has no plans to change his act despite recent controversy, some of which found him being criticized by his own daughter. Speaking with THR, Schneider responded to the suggestion that he should change some of his material after being yelled at by audience members during a recent fundraiser for Hospitals of Regina Foundation in Canada, with some even walking out. Schneider, though, believes that such strong reactions mean he’s “doing it right.”
“I’m doing it right. The thing about free speech is, free speech is all speech. Free speech isn’t for the nice stuff. It isn’t for the socially acceptable stuff. Free speech is the speech that challenges you. Free speech is the not-nice stuff. Easy speech or speech that’s acceptable to everybody doesn’t need any protection. I’m there to challenge the audience.”
After asserting his belief that he is there to “challenge” the audience (making them laugh might also help), Schneider described the great white north as being “under a repressive regime where they call protesters terrorists.”
“I’m very proud that I didn’t bow to that dictatorship that [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau is doing, and I’m happy to be one of those people that p*ssed them off. And I’ll do it again if I get the chance, but I don’t think they’ll let me in anytime soon.”
During the fundraiser back in June, Schneider’s set was cut short after several audience members left. The Hospitals of Regina Foundation later released a statement which read; “We do not condone, accept, endorse or share Mr. Schneider’s positions, as expressed during his comedy set and acknowledge that in this instance the performance did not meet the expectations of our audience and our team.”
“People Get Upset About Things Now. And That’s OK.”
While details of the material and “jokes” told by Schneider at the event have not been revealed officially, some attendees have since revealed details. X/Twitter user @geokaren wrote at the time that the Deuce Bigalow star went on “rants about vaccines,” “women’s rights,” and “how white men are persecuted.” Which sound like the perfect talking points for a hospital fundraiser.
Schneider, though, is not concerned with the reactions and thinks people getting upset is what great comedy is all about. Some would say that aiming to upset people is the opposite of what comedy is but, hey, it’s his career.
“People get upset about things now. And that’s OK. I think the more challenging the comedy is and society is, the more interesting the stand-up and art is going to be. When everything’s smooth, art is boring. So the ’90s could have been kind of boring, but this is a good time now, and it’s a challenging time.”
Schneider’s daughter Elle King recently revealed details of the challenges she faced in childhood because of the Big Daddy and The Hot Chick star. She recalled how she was constantly lost in the shuffle during filming days, how she’d get into trouble if she interrupted a take, and her father’s issues with her weight and tattoos.
She also called him out about his opinions, saying, “You’re talking out of your ass, and you’re talking sh*t about drag and, you know, anti-gay rights. And it’s like, get f*cked.” Schneider has since apologized for his lack of fatherhood, his behavior and attitudes towards her, and wished the best to King, saying he “loves her completely.”
