Actor and comedian Rob Schneider Schneider has no plans to change his style despite the recent controversy, which has seen him criticized by his daughter. Speaking to THR , Schneider responded to suggestions that he should change some of his material after audience members shouted him down during a recent fundraiser for the Regina Hospital Foundation in Canada, with some even walking out. Still, Schneider believes such strong reactions mean he's “doing it right.”
“I’m doing it the right way. The thing about free speech is that it’s total freedom of speech. Free speech is not for nice things. It’s not for socially acceptable things. Free speech is speech that challenges you. Free speech is un-nice things. Easy speech or speech that’s acceptable to everyone doesn’t need any protection. I’m here to challenge the public.”
After emphasizing his belief that he was there to “challenge” the audience (making them laugh might help, too), Schneider described the Great White North as “under an oppressive regime where they call protesters terrorists.”
“I am very proud that I was not subjected to that dictatorship that [Prime Minister Justin] “Trudeau does it, and I’m happy to be one of those people who pissed them off. I’d do it again if I had the chance, but I don’t think they’ll let me in anytime soon.”
During a fundraiser last June, Schneider's show was cut short after several audience members left. The Regina Hospital Foundation later issued a statement saying, “We do not support, condone, endorse or share Mr. Schneider's positions, as expressed during his comedy show, and we acknowledge that the show in this instance did not meet the expectations of our audience and team.”
“People are feeling upset about some things right now. That's normal.”
While details of the material and “jokes” Schneider told at the event have not been officially revealed, some attendees have since revealed details. Twitter user @geokaren wrote at the time that the Deuce Bigalow star talked about “vaccines,” “women’s rights,” and “how white men are oppressed.” Which sounds like perfect talking points for a hospital fundraiser.
But Schneider doesn't care about the reactions and believes that making people angry is the essence of great comedy. Some might say that trying to make people angry is the opposite of comedy, but in fact, that's his career.
“People are getting upset about things now. That’s normal. I think the more challenging comedy and society is, the more interesting comedy and art is. When everything is going well, art gets 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 as a child due to… Big Daddy and hot girl She recalled how she was constantly lost during filming days, how she got into trouble if she interrupted filming, and her father's problems with her weight and the tattoos she had on her body.
She also criticized him for his views, saying, “You talk about ridiculous things, you talk about gays, gay rights. It's like you want to have sex.” Schneider has since apologized for his lack of parenting, his behavior and attitude toward her, and wished King all the best, saying he “absolutely loves her.”
