Aqua Talent Agency dropped Jewish comedian and client Ari Shaffir from their roster on Jan. 27.
While Los Angeles was busy honoring and mourning the loss of Laker legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, Shaffir took it as an opportunity to insult Bryant’s legacy with his “dark comedy.”
In an Instagram story that he posted—and later deleted—he said that the news of Kobe’s death was a “good story.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7zNlrOHpnx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Six hours after the news was released, Shaffir took to Twitter: “Kobe Bryant died 23 years too late today. He got away with rape because all the Hollywood liberals who attack comedy enjoy rooting for the Lakers more than they dislike rape. Big ups to the hero who forgot to gas up his chopper. I hate the Lakers. What a great day! #Fuckthelakers.”
The Journal reached out to Aqua Talent Agency for comment.
Shaffir, who resides in Los Angeles, is best known for his podcast “Skeptic Tank” and for his appearances on “Joe Rogan Experience.” His behavior in the past has been a cause for concern, as he garnered criticism for punching Bobby Lee in the face, and for drugging his good friend Bert Kreischer.
He retweeted his tweet after an outpour of anger and threats came in from Bryant fans, then claimed he was “hacked.”
On the morning of Jan. 28, he issued a statement via Instagram.
“Every time a beloved celebrity dies, I post some horrible shit about them. I’ve been doing it for years now. I like destroying gods. And right when a famous person dies they’re at their most worshipped. So as a response to all the outpouring of sympathy on social media, I post something vile. It’s just a joke. I don’t really hate any of the people.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B73EHlTFrBy/
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