Actor and comedian Rob Schneider lashed out at claims his set at a GOP holiday gala in 2023 was so "gross and vulgar" that it was cut short.
The former Saturday Night Live cast member's performance was allegedly cut short by the event's host, which was a holiday gala for the Senate Working Group (SWG), a Republican networking group, according to Politico. The group later issued an apology following the incident.
According to the report, Mississippi Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith was among those offended by Schneider's set and decided to leave. A spokesperson for the Senator described the performance as "gross and vulgar," adding that Hyde-Smith "didn’t have to listen to it and so she got up and left.”
The event was slated to run for at least half an hour, but SWG executive director James Kimmey allegedly halted it after just 10 minutes due to the comedian's "raunchy" and inappropriate jokes, as reported by individuals either in attendance or briefed on the performance. These jokes reportedly targeted Asian individuals, including a remark about "Korean wh*re-houses."
Schneider addressed the "woke" report in remarks to TMZ, insisting he'd done a full 50-minute set:
"I'm not changing my material or apologizing for my jokes to anybody. Enough with this woke bulls**t, America's sick of it."
"I did 50 minutes because that's what I was paid to do. Nobody removed me from stage, somebody waved to me at the 50 minute mark."
However, the report goes on to say that the approximately 150 attendees, which included over 40 Senate chiefs of staff, received an email the following day containing an apology purportedly from Schneider's representatives that read:
"While we do our best to ensure every aspect of our program is professional, courteous, and appropriate, we sincerely regret that the entertainment at last night’s program fell short of that goal."
SWG noted that Schneider had disregarded a verbal agreement made with Kimmey to maintain a relatively clean set.
Schneider was swiftly criticized—and no one was buying his explanation.
Schneider is a known MAGA adherent who once said he is willing to "lose it all" for his beliefs.
The comedian made headlines in 2022 after telling conservative political commentator Glenn Beck he's long past caring about his career and instead cares about "my children and the country they're going to live in."
Schneider has claimed there is no shortage of conservatives in Hollywood but his many conservative friends are "scared" of speaking out for risk of tanking their careers.
He said in an interview with Fox News that his conservative friends genuinely "fear cancel culture too much to speak up." He also said he has been shunned in Hollywood for openly sharing his conservative views, and he has people who don't "return calls as often."
