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Daniel Tosh apologises for rape joke as fellow comedians defend topic

Outrage about a gang rape joke directed at a female audience member has reignited the debate about what is 'taboo'

Comedian Daniel Tosh has apologized after a blogpost accusing the comedian of making rape jokes and threatening an audience member went viral, and many comedians have come to his defense as well.

Rape has often been called the only thing you can't joke about, but in comedic circles it is not exactly taboo. Popular comedians like George Carlin have included rape jokes in their acts and some professionals argue that it is part of their artistic freedom.

In a blog entry posted on Tumblr, an audience member wrote that after Tosh told a series of jokes proclaiming that rape is always funny, she called out "Actually, rape jokes are never funny!"

To which she claims Tosh replied: "Wouldn't it be funny if that girl got raped by like, five guys right now? Like right now? What if a bunch of guys just raped her..."

After the blogpost went viral, Tosh replied to the accusations, tweeting:

Tosh followed up the apology with a tweet to justify the jokes that initiated the comment:

Many online observers were quick to criticize Tosh's comments but comedians were just as quick to back him up.

Alex Edelman, a professional stand-up comedian based in New York, told the Guardian: "I find rape to be a really serious topic, but on the other hand I think a comedian should be allowed to say almost whatever he wants and that the audience should be able to manifest their dislike in the form of not laughing at something if they find it offensive."

On Twitter, comedian Morgan Murphy defended Tosh's act-writing:

Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada gave an interview with E News, saying: "I understand where she is coming from, but Daniel Tosh did not attack this young lady. I feel bad for her and I apologize to her. If you are a member of the audience and you start dishing out something to a comic and try to be funny, you better be able to take it."

Comedians have also said that the alleged threat was a silly, if not stupid, response to what they perceive as heckling.

Edelman explained how the interuption presented a dilemma for the comedian: "If he actually addresses something you've said in a serious way, then a) he's abandoned his bit and b) he's actually made rape really come into the room."

Tuesday night, the blogger posted a response to the surprise buzz, saying that the audience member who wrote the post does not intend to press any charges but does plan on returning to comedy shows.

In the wake of the incident, some drew comparisons to Michael Richards' racist rant and Tracy Morgan's homophobic remarks during a recent set:

Did Tosh go too far in his response to the audience member? Or did she take his jokes too seriously? Is rape a fair topic for comedians? Tell us what you think in the comments.

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