In the latest episode of Saturday Night Live, Pete Davidson offered some advice for those fans of Michael Jackson and R. Kelly. He also took shots at the Catholic Church, earning him the condemnation of Catholic officials.
During his “Weekend Update” segment, Davidson joked about people who still want to listen to the music of Michael Jackson and R. Kelly after the sexual abuse allegations. The comedian opened the segment saying, “If you support the Catholic Church, isn’t that like the same thing as being an R. Kelly fan? I don’t really see the difference, except for one’s music is significantly better.”
“I’m not saying it’s an easy decision,” continued Davidson. “I’m just saying you don’t know how good someone’s music really is until you find out they’re a pedophile. And the reason everybody’s so upset is because R. Kelly and Michael Jackson made great music.” Watch the full clip above.
In response to Davidson’s joke, the Catholic Church’s Diocese of Brooklyn released a statement “demanding an immediate public apology from Saturday Night Live and NBC after Saturday night’s disgraceful and offensive skit.”
The statement continues, “The clergy sex abuse crisis is shameful, and no one should ever get a laugh at the expense of the victims who have suffered irreparably. The Diocese of Brooklyn strives every day to ensure that sexual abuse by clergy never happens again… It is likely that no other institution has done more than the Catholic Church to combat and prevent sexual abuse. The insensitivity of the writers, producers, and the cast of SNL around this painful subject is alarming.”
So far, Pete Davidson, Saturday Night Live, and NBC have not responded.
