Reed says in an email that he does not have anything personal against obese people, adding that he stands 'by all of my original remarks about Melissa McCarthy's obesity.'
- Jun 22, 2013
AceShowbiz - The New York Observer's movie critic Rex Reed, who made offensive remarks concerning Melissa McCarthy's full body, stands his ground and refuses to apologize. In an email to Us Weekly, Reed said, "I can only repeat what I have said before - that I do not have, nor have I ever had, anything personal against people who suffer from obesity."
"What I object to is the disgusting attempt to pretend obesity is funny. It is not remotely humorous, and every obese comedian who ever made jokes about the disease are now dead from strokes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. As a critic whose opinions are constitutionally protected by law, I stand by all of my original remarks about Melissa McCarthy's obesity, which I consider about as amusing as cancer, and apologize for nothing," he wrote.
Following the release of comedy movie "Identity Thief" back in February, Reed penned a review in which he called McCarthy "cacophonous, tractor-sized," and "hippo." He also described Sandra Bullock's co-star in "The Heat" as "a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success."
At that time, Reed received backlash from readers who called him "nasty" and "sexist." In addition, director of "Bridesmaids", Paul Feig, slammed the critic in a Twitter post. "For his catty and school bully name-calling of the supremely talented Melissa McCarthy, I cordially invite Mr. Rex Reed to go f**k himself," he wrote.
Months after the incident, McCarthy finally broke silence concerning the offensive comment about her body. "I felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate," she told the New York Times earlier this month. "I just thought, that's someone who's in a really bad spot, and I am in such a happy spot. I laugh my head off every day with my husband and my kids who are mooning me and singing me songs," the mother of two added.
