Jerry Lewis Clarifies: ‘Woman Are Funny But Not If They’re Crude’

Jerry Lewis, who is best known for his own unique brand of slapstick humor, got himself into a bit of deep water a few years ago when he proclaimed his view that woman are funny – but not if they’re being crude.

Jerry got a lot of stick for that controversial comment which was picked up and pounced upon by many people, including numerous woman’s rights groups. He recently clarified what he really meant by his comments, calling Lucille Ball a “brilliant” comedienne and adding that Carol Burnett is “the greatest female entrepreneur of comedy.”

Jerry Lewis spoke to reporters after leaving his hand and footprints outside Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre, saying about Ball that she: “went to the lowest level of the barrel, and she was brilliant because of it.”

He went on to clarify properly what he really meant when he said previously that he didn’t think crude woman were funny:

Seeing a woman project the kind of aggression that you have to project as a comic just rubs me wrong. And they’re funny — I mean you got some very, very funny people that do beautiful work — but I have a problem with the lady up there that’s going to give birth to a child — which is a miracle,” Lewis said. “But when you have women like Carol Burnett, that’s the greatest female entrepreneur of comedy. I just saw Carol at the Smith Center at home in Vegas, and I was stunned by how brilliant she is and how brilliantly she brings the audience right up to her.

Having been accompanied to the Hollywood event by his wife and daughter, Jerry Lewis revealed to reporters that this was the first time he had taken his daughter to a public event of this type: “This is an incredible time for me. I have never, ever had an experience like this and had my daughter present. And this is the first time I’ve ever asked her to join me,” he said.