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Mrs Brown’s Boys star Brendan O’Carroll has defended implying extremely offensive racial slurs in his comedy.
O’Carroll, the 69-year-old Irish actor who performs the title character within the long-running BBC comedy, not too long ago apologised for making a “clumsy” joke the place a “racial time period was implied” throughout rehearsals for the forthcoming Christmas specials.
It has since been reported that O’Carroll was in character as Mrs Brown when he started to utter the N-word earlier than he was stopped by his on-screen daughter, who was additionally in character.
The BBC halted filming to launch an investigation after the comment was flagged to bosses. O’Carroll then mentioned he “deeply regrets the clumsy line”.
It has now been reported that in an interview, O’Carroll argued in defence of such jokes and mentioned it may solely work when he was in character because the Mrs Browns Boys titular star Agnes Brown.
The Every day Mail reviews that in a current interview, O’Carroll cited a sketch that he did with American actor Tyler Perry in Netflix’s A Madea Homecoming, which incorporates using racial phrases. As Madea, Perry – who’s Black – performs an older girl who meets Mrs Brown.
The sketch sees the 2 characters with differing Irish and American accents misunderstand one another in order that the phrase “knickers” is misinterpreted as a racial slur.
The actor reportedly recalled that this sketch was a hit, saying: “I did the film with Tyler Perry and we have been about 4 years within the planning of it.
“However we’d have Facetimes, and the scene that we do, the knicker/n***** piece, we howled laughing at it.
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“And we agreed that we wouldn’t get away with it – however [our characters] Madea and Mrs Brown would.”
“So we did it, and it turned one of many highlights of the f***ing film.”
Recalling the scene, O’Carroll defined, “Within the film Agnes says, ‘Now maintain on, don’t be getting your knickers in a twist.”
Perry’s character Madea replies: “Did you name me a n*****?”
Mrs Brown then responds,”No, no, I mentioned knicker.”
O’Carroll mentioned the scene was “f***ing hilarious” and “the place fell aside laughing”.
The Unbiased has contacted representatives for Mr O’Carroll for remark.
On the time of the discharge of A Madea Homecoming in 2022, O’Carroll got here beneath fireplace for his remarks about race whereas showing on The One Present to advertise the movie alongside Perry. Through the interview, O’Carroll mentioned that Mrs Brown’s Boys had by no means had anybody of Perry’s “color” characteristic on the present earlier than.
When requested if he thought his fellow visitor may characteristic on Mrs Brown’s Boys, O’Carroll responded: “He’s very costly and to date we haven’t had anyone his color in there,” the Irish actor continued, pointing at his face on the phrase “color”.
O’Carroll mentioned that he would love the actor to seem on the present or for the pair to make one other movie collectively, whereas Perry laughed on the remark whereas repeating the phrases: “No person my color.”
“Occasions have modified, change the world,” Perry. “Range guidelines, right here we go.”
The One Present viewers have been shocked by O’Carroll’s remark, which was described by one viewer as “offensive” and “racist”.
The remarks are according to the tone of the Perry-directed comedy, which options a number of jokes about race and ethnicity.
In a single scene, Mrs Brown greets Madea by crossing her arms and saying “Wakanda without end”, in reference to the Black Panther motto from the Marvel movies.
One other clip reveals the actor at dinner with Perry’s character, the place she says “I’m Mrs Brown”, with one of many co-stars replying: “I’m a brown too.”
Throughout filming for the current Christmas particular, the BBC investigated the incident and halted rehearsals, which have since resumed on the company’s Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow. It’s understood that the specials are nonetheless scheduled to air on BBC One this festive season of their regular Christmas Day and New 12 months’s Day slots.
A BBC spokesperson mentioned: “Whereas we don’t touch upon people, the BBC is in opposition to all types of racism, and we’ve sturdy processes in place ought to points ever come up.”
A consultant for O’Carroll instructed The Every day Mail: “We’d additionally prefer to make clear that the ‘n’ phrase was completely not spoken, it was implied. Agnes (Mrs Brown) started the phrase however was stopped from ending it by her daughter Cathy, as she (Mrs Brown) knew she could be.”
O’Carroll mentioned in a press release: “At a read-through of the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a careless try at a joke, within the character of Agnes, the place a racial time period was implied. It backfired and brought about offence which I deeply remorse and for which I’ve apologised.”
