D. L. Hughley Explains Why His Caitlyn Jenner Comment Wasn’t a Big Deal. “Nobody is Above Comedy”

Last week D.L. Hughley was all over the news over a supposedly “controversial” statement he made about Caitlyn Jenner.  Hughley had said that he thought it was an insult to Arthur Ashe that Jenner received the prestigious Arthur Ashe award at the 2015 Espys but what really upset people was that he said Caitlyn wasn’t attractive.

Earlier this week Hughley was on SiriusXM’s Bennington show and explained his comment it wasn’t controversial or even a big deal. Hughley told show hosts Ron Bennington and Gail Bennington, “I don’t think any subject or any person is necessarily such a sacred cow they’re off-limits,” adding “and I think that I hate what’s happening where you have to apologize for some shit that you were just being funny about.”

Hughley stressed the problems with succumbing to the air of political correctness, or treating a person as untouchable.  We’re in such a hurry to make everybody so sacred, Hughley said, without really thinking whether that’s a good thing.  “I certainly am not unsympathetic to the fact that children die every day because of being teased over their gender identification issue. But to not say anything about this lady– all of sudden we won’t say anything about that– now he’s just exalted.  To me, everything is a target for comedy.  Nobody’s above it. Particularly not a guy who, like his son says, ‘I hope Caitlyn is a better person than Bruce was.'”

He also explained why he didn’t think Jenner deserved the award. “Out of all the people they could have picked, I don’t think he [Jenner] is that great a guy.  He wasn’t that great a person. I think he kept his dick because he knows he pretty much is one.”

D.L. said he wasn’t trying to be hurtful toward Jenner, but said “he literally was a girl 5 minutes, and got a lifetime achievement,” in contrast with  “Arthur Ashe [who] ived his whole life and died, and his award- he didn’t even know he had it.”  Hughley also brought up Lauren Hill, who had brain cancer.  Rather than lament her situation, D.L. pointed out that she spent her life trying to make things better for everyone else.

Hughley also talked about a wide range of topics for which comedy should not be off limits, Bill Cosby, Obama, our unsustainable penal system, poverty, and even his own son’s autism.

So don’t expect an apology.  Hughely is comfortable with what he said.  According to Hughley, there are three universal truths. “OJ is a murderer, Bill Cosby is a rapist and Caitlyn Jenner is not good looking.”

Bennington airs daily on SiriusXM from noon to 3pm et.  You can hear the entire conversation with Hughley on SiriusXM On Demand.

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