Liberal comedian Bill Maher launched the Cojones Awards, a new trophy for those who stand up to cancel culture mobs, on Friday’s edition of his long running HBO talk show. The award honors ‘outstanding achievement in growing a pair.’
Maher, 67, handed out a gold trophy of dangling testicles to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos for his refusal to apologize over the controversy created by Dave Chappelle‘s 2021 comedy special The Closer, which was criticized over jokes about the transgender community.
The host congratulated Sarandos for standing firm as Netflix employees walked out of their jobs over the controversy. He joked that if staff didn’t like the content then maybe ‘Netflix may not be the best place for you.’
‘So for making the phrase “don’t let the door hit you in the ass” never sound better, this is for you Ted,’ Maher added.
Another recipient was actor Ben Stiller, who in February defended his 2008 comedy smash hit Tropic Thunder which caused controversy for Robert Downey Jr’s use of blackface.
Comedian Bill Maher congratulated Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos for refusing to backdown to employees who walked over Dave Chappelle’s comedy special, The Closer
‘So for making the phrase “don’t let the door hit you in the ass” never sound better, this is for you Ted,’ Maher said
Ben Stiller received an award for refusing to apologize for the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder in which Robert Downey Jr. donned blackface
Stiller said he was ‘proud’ of the movie and that he makes ‘no’ apologies – noting that the film was controversial upon its release.
‘And the lesson is if you stand up to the mob for just a day or two, their shallow, impatient, immature smartphone-driven gerbil minds will forget about it and go on to the next nothingburger and you, you still will have your cojones,’ Maher said.
Other recipients of awards were Cornell University and its president Martha Pollack, who denied requests from students for trigger warnings to be attached to college courses.
‘She didn’t cave in or hire a new dean of sensitivity, she just said, “No. College is for introducing you to new ideas, not for kissing your ass and making you feel wonderful and always right,”‘ Maher joked.
The ivy-league’s school assembly voted in favor of the measure earlier this year. Pollack vetoed it when it arrived on her desk.
‘We cannot accept this resolution as the actions it recommends would infringe on our core commitment to academic freedom and freedom of inquiry, and are at odds with the goals of a Cornell education,’ Pollack wrote in a letter, reports The New York Times.
Another award went to Trader Joe’s for refusing to remove names from its ethnic food selections, including Traders Jose’s, Trader Ming’s and Arabian Joe’s
Another award went to Trader Joe’s for refusing to remove names from its ethnic food selections, including Traders Jose’s, Trader Ming’s and Arabian Joe’s.
While holding up the trophy, Maher said: ‘You see how easy it is? So, to the home of the 19-cent banana, here, have some nuts.’
In 2020, Trader Joe’s denied the labels were racist in a press release after an online petition circulated demanding the names be changed.
‘We want to be clear: we disagree that any of these labels are racist,’ the popular grocery chain said in a statement posted on its website. It added, ‘We do not make decisions based on petitions.’
Other Trader Joe’s names cited include Trader Giotto’s and Trader Joe San for Italian and Japanese foods.
Company spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said the company has indeed dropped some names over the years, including Arabian Joe’s and Armenian Joe’s, and may lose others in the future. But that will be solely on input from its employees and customers.
Other recipients of awards were Cornell University and its president Martha Pollack, shown here, who denied requests from students for trigger warning to be attached to college courses
In introducing the segment, Maher said he was inspired to create the awards after spending a night at a movie producer friends home where he had been invited to host a discussion on cancel culture.
The comedian said those at the party all agreed it would be a good idea to create an awards show for those ‘brave people who have fought back.’
‘Then of course being Hollywood, nothing happened. But it’s still a good idea, so I’m going to do it right here, right now,’ he joked.
During the same show, in which Maher was joined by psychotherapist Esther Perel, as well as podcasters Glenn Loury and Daniel Bessner, Maher also took aim at Fox News’ recent settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
The network paid Dominion $787.5 million this week after the voting technology firm alleged the conservative network knowingly aired false claims its machines were used to rig the 2020 presidential election.
Maher called out Fox News host Tucker Carlson for having Trump lawyer Sydney Powell on his show. He remarked that Carlson has called him a ‘psychopath… a liar… and f***ing b***h’ in private.
The comedian joked about Fox News’ statement on the settlement which included the words: ‘This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.’
‘You know which news outlets have, I think, even higher journalistic standards? The ones who don’t have to pay three-quarters of a billion dollars for being a f*****g liar,’ Maher retorted.
Despite not being a recipient of a Cojones Award, Maher did take time to discuss Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
‘J.K. Rowling used to be a villain to the right because she wrote books about witchcraft. Now, she’s a villain to the left because she has the crazy belief there’s more to being a woman than pronouns and lipstick,’ he told his audience.
