Brett Ratner Resigns: Oscar Producer OUT

Brett Ratner is out as producer of the 84th Academy Awards show.

It's been a tumultuous several days for Ratner, who, amongst several offenses, used a gay slur when asked a question about filmmaking. The director said that "rehearsing is for fags" in a Q&A session following a screening of his new film, "Tower Heist," at L.A.'s Arclight Cinemas. He apologized for the statement after NY Magazine published his remarks and a video of the exchange was posted.

"As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast," Ratner said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents."

Ratner chose Eddie Murphy, the star of "Tower Heist," to host the Oscars.

"He did the right thing for the Academy and for himself," Sherak said in the Academy's official response statement. "Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We all hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent."

Ratner also made headlines in a pair of lewd media appearances. He spoke about his sexual history with actress Olivia Munn on both G4 and Howard Stern's radio programs; he said he "banged" Munn on a G4 talkshow, before admitting that he had never had sex with her in an explicit conversation with Stern. He made several other off-color sexual remarks during the interview with Stern, as well.

WATCH (Remarks start at 2:40):

Comments

[elsquibbs]

02:17 PM on 11/10/2011

The Thought Police are working overtime today.

[Benjamin Barclay Amsden]

12:41 AM on 11/10/2011

I really don't think these kind of words should be tabooed, it only preserves their ability to wound and ensures that bigots have a quick alternative to actually having to express the reasoning behind their prejudice.

Their being taboo also acts as something of a trap for unprejudiced people who are just reaching for an insult without being mindful of why they came to be regarded as insulting, which is what I would wager happened with Mr Ratner.

That being said, it has to be the group originally maligned by them that takes them back and strips the negativity from them.

[Redhunteur]

02:10 AM on 11/10/2011

Nicely said. For some bizarre reason people still seem to embrace prohibition as if that is some kind of success model. These words have power because we continue to provide it to them. The great prophet Lenny Bruce addressed this issue decades ago. "It's the suppression of the word that gives it the power, the violence, the viciousness."

It's a bit of a version of the Ben Kenobi quote, "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

[Mona Symone]

10:15 AM on 11/10/2011

Then anyone should be able to say the N word as well. Perhaps we should all carry on spurting off careless slurs that hurt a group of people without thought. We'll think of some funny name for the Jews related to their whole Nazi rendezvous and this will be all laughs at others expense. Thrilling.

[elsquibbs]

02:16 PM on 11/10/2011

Words only hurt if you let them. Harden up.

[Benjamin Barclay Amsden]

04:39 AM on 11/11/2011

As far as the N word goes (I abbreviate only to get through the censors) those maligned by it did take steps towards reclaiming it, making it something of a word expressing comradeship, but people outside of the group were always interpreted by them as using it with the original insulting intent, even when they were clearly using it in the new way.
It remains a reflection of how deep the divisions are between black and white, even when prejudice is not involved.

Queer is a perhaps a better example; despite the additional insult power of also meaning strange, it was reclaimed and can be quite safely used by everyone without giving offense. Of course it can still be used offensively, but then in my country so can 'spoon' and if you put the right spin on anything it will hurt.

[LastWave]

08:11 PM on 11/09/2011

trolling ahh americas new pastime.

[SteveDenver]

09:47 PM on 11/09/2011

That word doesn't even offend this BIG flamer. Maybe if he hadn't resigned, the Academy could have Jewed him down on his fee or something could have been nggerrigged with Eddie Murphy.

[Opal84]

02:40 PM on 11/09/2011

The purges continue. Very "progressive" indeed.

[LastWave]

08:12 PM on 11/09/2011

if your condoning the use of the word then yeah you got purged.
also if your condoning that word then your soul has been purged long ago.

[JTKing]

02:29 PM on 11/09/2011

As a gay male, I would agree that his words did not offend me personally, nor do I believe that he was being homophobic. My brothers, who are 100% hetero, says constantly, that's gay. It's simply a figure of speech, IMO. However, it never says that he was fired. What I read was "As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and RESIGNED as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast." This was a decision that he made on his own!

[ieieieie]

03:51 PM on 11/09/2011

Fanned. I am also gay and agree fully. My friends use that word a lot without a homophobic meaning in mind. Fellow gays need to understand that people do not use that word to specifically refer to gays anymore. It's like when someone says "idiot" they are not using that word to demean mentally handicapped people, even though that's what the original term was used for. This is not a big deal and it's certainly not newsworthy.

[LastWave]

08:13 PM on 11/09/2011

while thats true. people kill themselves over that word. is it that hard not to use it?

[ugotabkidnme]

02:00 PM on 11/09/2011

So much for living large in California. He won't be able reserve a table in the state much less dare to eat from restraurant plate of food. He's gonna love living in Kansas, OK or Texas.

[FatherH]

02:45 PM on 11/09/2011

He'll be fine in Texas.

[outloud]

01:58 PM on 11/09/2011

Good! Glad he's gone.
Do I think he's learned anything? Not really.

[T4]

04:45 PM on 11/09/2011

What's to learn? That power brokers of a certain cultural elite will shine a light everwyhere but on themselves. Lok up the names of the Academy Board - find a connection between most of them? No secret just not talked about. Burying hypocriosy just gioves it a place to grow

[too young but old enough]

01:54 PM on 11/09/2011

Looks like a lot of the commenters here need to work on reading comprehension. Ratner was not "fired from hosting the Oscars". He RESIGNED from PRODUCING the Academy Awards all on his own. He did it to avoid any possible controversy from impacting the show, not because he was forced by the Academy itself.

"I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents," he stated. (via Hollywood Reporter)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/brett-ratner-oscar-producer-258877

[ArjenBoatsma]

06:51 PM on 11/09/2011

Of course, that is the official version. The Oscars saves face, BR repents publically, and tomorrow everything's back to normal.

[ummm]

01:54 PM on 11/09/2011

Hollywood's biggest popularity contest may have high ideals but how would he know?

[rjohns3]

12:48 PM on 11/09/2011

This story and the outrage over what is a word... is really amazing. I watched a show last night for the first time ever that had a plot line of people digging thru an old lady's crap for a gold tooth and 13 yr that was very adept at blackmailing to get laid... But the use of the above mentioned word is just over the line...

[LastWave]

08:16 PM on 11/09/2011

as iv pointed out
PEOPLE HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE OVER THAT WORD AND OTHERS LIKE IT>
sorry but it really is hurtful. no matter the intention. just choose a different word.

[Subsoil73]

02:38 PM on 11/10/2011

If someone commits suicide because of hearing one word - they've got much bigger issues than hearing that one word.

[HottyTotty]

12:33 PM on 11/09/2011

What a poor choice of words. He obviously didn't mean that rehearsing is only for gay people and didn't mean to (I assume) paint gays in a bad light but in a world where everyone is REALLY sensitive, it clearly was the wrong thing to say.

[kinogod]

12:12 PM on 11/09/2011

Stock in greasy fist shrimp just went back up. This guy is like charicature of Hollywood.

[Junaid Noori]

12:06 PM on 11/09/2011

Bravo to the Gestapo police. Maybe they should go after Jerry Seinfeld for using the word idiot, which is clearly a derisive remark against people with cerebral palsy. Or Matt Damon, who said his least favorite color was brown, a clear indication he was insulting east Indians.

[darlenercoleman]

12:00 PM on 11/09/2011

...I've never heard of him before this "story"...who is he?

[RadicalAmerica]

12:27 PM on 11/09/2011

There are more people standing up for gays then for child molesters I guess.

[valeskas]

12:34 PM on 11/09/2011

And now they do the same with Paterno, the supporter of a child molester.