Luke Mockridge has been heavily criticized for his disparaging statements about disabled sports. Now the comedian is taking action and canceling the start of his planned tour.
After the heavy criticism of his statements about disabled sports, comedian Luke Mockridge has cancelled the planned start of his “Funny Times” tour. The tour kick-off this Thursday in Bünde in East Westphalia and the second show on Friday in Paderborn will not take place, the tour organizer MTS live announced in response to a request. The cancellation is “due to the current situation”. Mockridge made the decision himself.
The 35-year-old actually wanted to perform his show “Funny Times” around 30 times in Germany and Austria by November. It is still unclear whether the tour organizer will cancel further dates on the tour.
The comedian had made derogatory comments about disabled sports in a podcast. “There are people without legs and arms who are thrown into a pool – and whoever drowns last wins,” Mockridge said in the podcast “Die Deutschen”. The episode had already been published in August, but only received greater attention shortly before the closing ceremony of the Paralympics.
Backtracking on Instagram
After massive public criticism of his statements, Mockridge backtracked and apologized to the athletes. “Of course, it was never my intention to ridicule people with disabilities – especially during these great Paralympic Games,” the 35-year-old wrote on Instagram at the weekend. However, many users commented critically on the apology and did not believe the comedian’s remorse.
Several local organizers had recently pushed behind the scenes for Mockridge to cancel the tour. Six performances in Gelsenkirchen, Bonn, Siegen and Mainz had already been canceled by the local organizers in the past few days. “Luke Mockridge obviously lacks any humility towards the achievements of the Paralympians and respect towards people with disabilities of any kind,” wrote the Gelsenkirchen show organizer Emschertainment in justification.
Worry about the costs of a tour cancellation
But most local organizers were reluctant to cancel the event themselves. “Whoever cancels ends up paying,” said one organizer. Such costs could become dangerously high, especially for smaller players in the event industry, reported “Wirtschaftswoche”. In addition to the hall rental, there are also bills from already booked catering providers, technology companies, ticket providers and other service providers.
At the weekend, the TV station Sat.1 had already taken the planned new TV quiz “What’s in the Box?” with the 35-year-old off the program. Mockridge’s statements did not correspond to the station’s values, said a spokesman.
The comedian has also lost his management. The collaboration has been terminated, confirmed the agency MTS Management in Münster.
Planned tour dates
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
