Rex Reed insists obesity is no laughing matter, won’t back down on earlier comments

Jun 24, 2013 05:54 GMT  ·  By
Film critic Red Reed stands by his initial comments of Melissa McCarthy, insists obesity should never be considered funny
   Film critic Red Reed stands by his initial comments of Melissa McCarthy, insists obesity should never be considered funny

Last year, Rex Reed, a film critic for the New York Observer, called Melissa McCarthy a “female hippo” in his review of the comedy “Identity Thief.” In an email to Us Weekly, the critic insists she won’t be getting an apology from him – not now nor ever.

Reed gave the comedy a scathing review, saying obesity is no laughing matter, and McCarthy should be ashamed of herself for trying to make her weight the subject matter of her jokes.

He stands by that comment even though it did not earn him any new friends.

“I can only repeat what I have said before – that I do not have, nor have I ever had, anything personal against people who suffer from obesity,” Reed says.

“What I object to is the disgusting attempt to pretend obesity is funny. It is not remotely humorous, and every obese comedian who ever made jokes about the disease are now dead from strokes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes,” the critic continues.

He adds that his opinions are all “protected by law” and he stands by them. Obesity is to Reed “as amusing as cancer” so he’s not taking anything from what he said back.