“Didn’t particularly like the Paul Walker joke”: Justin Bieber Hated One Joke From Jeff Ross From His Comedy Central Roast
Roasting is super controversial. The concept allows for no rules, and no topic off limits for jokes, which often results in participants crossing lines with impunity. Justin Bieber was really upset at jokes made about the late Paul Walker, who passed away after a tragic accident.
The jokes were made by Jeff Ross and Pete Davidson, the roastmasters of the 2015 event. His insensitive jokes about The Fast And Furious star broke the hearts of several celebrities, including Ludacris. Those tasteless comments ruined the mood of the event and Ross was criticized by fans and stars alike for his distasteful humor. This incident also sparked a debate about the concept of roasting and the absence of any ground rules for such events.
Justin Bieber Was Deeply Upset By Jeff Ross’s Joke About Paul Walker
In 2015, the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber show removed many jokes made in reference to the death of the late actor Paul Walker on one of their episodes. The comedy show was surrounded by many controversies.
There were plenty of outrageous jokes during the taping of one of the controversial episodes, which included Walker. The roast enraged not only the live audience but also viewers and fans. One of the roasters was Paul Walker’s Fast & Furious co-star Ludacris, whose official name is Christopher Brian Bridges. The American rapper was irked by the hurtful joke, and even Justin Bieber refused to accept the statement as a joke.
The popular comedian Jeff Ross made a joke which Justin Bieber himself admitted after the roast that he didn’t particularly like the Paul Walker spoof that Ross cracked on the show. Referencing one of Ludacris’ songs Move Bitch, the comedian quipped,
“Move bitch, get out of the way!’ is what Paul Walker should’ve told that tree, Too soon? Too fast? Too furious?”
Another roaster, Davidson, said,
“Just this past year, Justin got arrested for drag racing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t with Paul Walker. What? He’s doing great! He’s got a movie coming out!”
A source close to the What’s Your Fantasy singer who was in the audience told Page Six that the jokes were in absolutely poor taste. He said,
“The joke was poor and silenced the audience, leaving many upset guests — especially Chris, as Paul was like a brother to him, on and off the screen.”
A Comedy Central rep shared the statement stating,
“Roasts often push the limits of good taste and we give the participants full reign to try things knowing we have the edit to shape the show. Sometimes the line is discovered by crossing it. The Paul Walker references will not be in the telecast.”
Many musicians, and actors who have graced the show in the past have mentioned that some of the series’ topics are insensitive and off-limits.
Should Roasting Events Have Topics That Are Off Limits?
As aforementioned, this incident sparked a debate among fans on the nature of such roasting events. Should such events have off-limits topics? Or should they be no holds barred, as they usually are? Certainly, having no rules and making jokes on sensitive themes gets more controversy and thus fan engagement, but on the other hand, such jokes deeply offend many people. Distasteful humor brings hostility, and acrimony, and really lowers the level of public discourse.
Comedy events are supposed to entertain and humor audiences and participants, and not upset and cause ill feelings among people. Paul Walker was a beloved actor who passed away in a tragic accident, making cruel jokes about his demise is something that should certainly have been avoided by Jeff Ross.
Source: The Things
