Jerry Sadowitz has hit back at the Edinburgh Fringe venue which cancelled his show saying it “cheapened and simplified” his work.
The Pleasance pulled the plug on the controversial Scottish comic’s performance after just one night saying it was ‘extreme in its racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny”.
The 60-year-old also exposed himself on stage as part of his act.
It is claimed the show – titled Not For Anyone – prompted multiple walkouts and received an “unprecedented” number of complaints, including from venue staff.
But Sadowitz insisted the 75-minute show for 600 people “went pretty well” and “left with no hint of anything going wrong”.
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In a statement, he said: “In addition to now being told there were multiple walkouts and “abuse of staff” my act is now being cheapened and simplified as unsafe, homophobic, misogynistic and racist.
“A lot of thought goes into my shows and while I don’t always get it right, especially at the speed of which I speak.
“And I don’t always agree with my own conclusions... I am offended by those who, having never seen me before, HEAR words being shouted in the first five minutes before storming out without LISTENING to the material which I am stupid enough to believe is funny, sometimes important and worth saying.”
Addressing the exposure claims, he continued: “Additionally, there’s a lot of silly, exaggerated irony and nonsense, real and exaggerated anger and bile.
“Even getting my d**k out is for the purpose of the funny line which follows it. (No I won’t tell you what it is... see the show for yourself... or better still... just stay at home).”
The comic explained that despite his shows being controversial, it was all in the name of comedy.
“I ask nobody to agree with anything I say or do on stage... God forbid they should end up like me... and I have never ONCE courted a mainstream audience to come to my shows because guess what??? In real life, I really DONT want to upset anyone.”
He added: “The show is what it is, for those who enjoy it. The rest of you... please stick to Carry On films.
“P.S If The Pleasance can’t apologise to me they should at least apologise to the 300 people who paid for and travelled to see the show on Saturday.”
Sadowitz began his career in the 1980s and quickly became known for his provocative performances.
A veteran of the Fringe, the stand up is also recognised as one of the best magicians in the world and often includes tricks in his shows. He even helped illusionist Derren Brown get his big break.
His latest show was billed as featuring “whacky impressions of Greta Thunberg, Frankie Boyle and deep vein thrombosis” and carried the warning “strong language and themes some may find distressing”.
The decision to cancel his show didn't go down well with other comedians, including Richard Herring and Katherine Ryan.
Herring, who has cited Sadowitz as an influence, wrote on his blog that to complain about him being offensive “is like asking the actor who plays Macbeth to be arrested for murder”.
Ryan said it was “very strange” to cancel a performance for “apparent offence” when there was a content warning on the booking page.
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