AP Regional 1/18/01

"Politically Incorrect" host apologizes for remark about mentally disabled

NEW YORK (AP) - Bill Maher, host of ABC television network's late night talk show "Politically Incorrect" apologized for making insensitive comments about the mentally disabled.

During the show's Jan. 11 broadcast, the often outspoken Maher compared his pet dogs to "retarded children", saying "They're sweet. They're kind. But they don't mentally advance at all".

Some groups that advocate for the mentally disabled asked their members to complain to the network.

In response, ABC said on Wednesday that they felt Maher had "gone over the line of 'political incorrectness' and we apologize profusely for the insensitivity of the remark".

Maher told The New York Times, "I make no excuses. I was wrong and what I said was hurtful to people and I feel terrible about it".

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 18, 2001

Answers

Maher is lucky he didn't turn this around and compare retarded children to his "pet dogs". Then he'd have the animal rights crowd in an uproar.

-- (who_let _the_ dogs_out@who.who), January 18, 2001.

What's funny about a rubber crotch?

-- (nemesis@awol.com), January 21, 2001.