Reginald D Hunter Faces Backlash Over Antisemitism After Fringe Incident

American standup comedian Reginald D Hunter has found himself at the centre of an antisemitism controversy after two Israeli audience members were heckled and booed at his Edinburgh Fringe show on Sunday, August 11.

Hunter, originally from Albany, Georgia, has resided in the UK since 1997 and is currently performing his standup show Fluffy Fluffy Beavers at the renowned comedy festival.

Dominic Cavendish, chief theatre critic for The Telegraph, who attended Sunday’s show, reported that the audience responded with vocal hostility towards an Israeli couple after they briefly heckled Hunter.

According to Cavendish, Hunter made a provocative joke comparing the state of Israel to an abusive partner. He referenced a documentary featuring an abusive wife who falsely accused her husband of abuse, saying it made him think, “My God, it’s like being married to Israel.”

The joke elicited laughter from the crowd, but the Israeli couple in the front row exclaimed, “not funny.” This outburst reportedly triggered several audience members to respond with shouts of “you’re not welcome” and “genocidal maniac,” ultimately leading to the couple’s departure from the venue, the Assembly George Square Studios in Edinburgh.

Hunter allegedly responded to the couple by saying, “You can say it’s not funny to you, but if you say it to a room full of people who laughed.”

The Independent has reached out to Hunter’s representatives for comment.

The Assembly Festival, which manages the venue, released a statement noting that an audience member chose to leave Hunter’s show on Sunday. “The venue front of house team attended and supported the member of the public upon exiting,” the statement read.

In reaction to Cavendish’s recounting of the event, the Campaign for Antisemitism described the alleged incidents as “extremely concerning” and a “sickening low that cannot be disguised as comedy.”

“Comedians are rightly given broad latitude, but they also have a responsibility to their audience,” the organization stated.

This incident follows several months after London’s Soho Theatre banned comedian Paul Currie from performing at their venue. The decision came after Jewish audience members claimed they were “subjected to verbal abuse” and felt “unsafe” during Currie’s hour-long show, Shtoom.

During Currie’s show, the Belfast comedian did not speak, creating what the theatre’s website described as a “unique, surrealist, Dada punk-clown, non-verbal experience.”

One Israeli attendee reported feeling unsafe after failing to stand and applaud when a Ukrainian and Palestinian flag was unveiled during Currie’s performance.

The concerns raised by these incidents have sparked broader conversations about the responsibility of comedians to their diverse audiences and the fine line between provocative humor and offensive commentary.

As debates continue, both the audience and performers alike are reminded of the impact words and actions can have, transcending the boundaries of comedy and impacting real lives.

Source: The Telegraph, The Independent