Thread: Booted Obama impersonator defends performance at GOP gathering

CNN/blogs

TRENDING: Booted Obama impersonator defends performance at GOP gathering

Posted: June 20, 2011, 12:39 pm ET

(CNN) - The Obama impersonator who stole the show at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans this past weekend is speaking out against reports that he was yanked from the stage because of his controversial performance.

Comedian Reggie Brown told CNN’s Kyra Phillips Monday that it was the length of his performance – not its content – that led organizers to escort him off of the stage, but acknowledged some of his jokes may have touched a nerve with the Republican crowd.

“I do believe that I was over my time by a few minutes,” Brown said. “And I also believe that the material was starting to get to a point to where maybe they started to, you know, feel uncomfortable with where it was going. But I was just doing my thing.”

The Obama look-alike began his performance with a series of often racially tinged jokes about the president, but it wasn’t until he began going after some big-name Republicans, including several presidential candidates, that he was told his time was up.

Brown said organizers told him he would have 15 to 20 minutes to perform. But after 17 minutes and mid-way through a joke about newly declared presidential candidate Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, his mic was cut and he was led off the stage.

RLC President and CEO Charlie Davis said the performance had gone too far and was getting inappropriate. “Had I been in the room I would have pulled him sooner. We have zero tolerance for racially insensitive jokes. As soon as I realized what was going on I rushed backstage and had him pulled,” Davis told CNN.

But Brown insists he was told that his performance was cut short due to time restraints, and said several other speakers, including Texas Rep. Ron Paul, were also “kindly escorted off the stage.”

Though Paul delivered one of the lengthier speeches, and ended his remarks quite abruptly, he was not escorted from the stage by organizers.

Brown also rebuffed the notion that the crowd was offended by his racial jokes about the president, and insisted organizers knew what to expect when they booked him.

“I didn’t hear any boos on any of the racial jokes. The president, like myself, shares a mixed background, you know. My mother’s white. My father’s black. I feel very safe delivering content like that,” Brown said.

“I wouldn’t touch anything that I don’t think the president would feel comfortable with or hasn’t done himself. He is someone I respect. I want to make him happy, appreciate what I’m doing,” Brown said.

And though his jokes may have fallen flat in New Orleans, Brown might just be the one with the last laugh.

The comedian and impersonator said his phone has been ringing off the hook since his now-infamous performance.

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

From http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...gop-gathering/


Seen on C-SPAN: Obama impersonator Reggie Brown performed during the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans.

For those who just want to see the iffy bits.


lulz