Jay Leno Offends Sikh Community with Mitt Romney Joke (Video)

Comedian Jay Leno has rubbed many in the Indian community the wrong way with a controversial joke directed at the wealth of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

In an attempt to make fun of how much money Mitt has, Leno showed successive pictures of candidates Newt Gingrinch and Ron Paul’s homes, and then used a photo India’s illustrious and grandiose Golden Temple of Amritar to depict Romney’s residence. The temple is known to be the Sikh’s holiest place of worship.

The Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi felt Leno crossed the line.  “Freedom does not mean hurting the sentiments of others… This is not acceptable to us and we take a very strong objection for such a display,” he said.

At the time this article was written 3,248 people had signed an online petition at change.org that says, “This derogatory depiction of Sri Darbar Sahib, as the home of rich, is contrary to the reality and hurtful to the sentiments of the Sikhs.”

Adding to the controversy is the Sikh communities claim that Leno has a habit of making offensive remarks toward their culture.

“This is not the first time that this show host has targeted Sikhs in his monologue,” the petition read. “Previously, in 2007 he called Sikhs ‘diaper heads.’ In 2010, he remarked, falsely so, in his monologue that President Obama could not visit Sri Darbar Sahib because of requirements of wearing a turban. Clearly, Jay Leno’s racist comments need to be stopped right here.”

For more comedy news and exclusive interviews visit our AmericasComedy.com Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter @AmericasComedy!

Related posts: