The week-old story of Brit Hume's Christianity vs. Buddhism remarks is apparently still fodder for a good laugh, and comedienne Wanda Sykes attempted to squeeze out one more. The late-night talk show host arguably stepped over the line with a skit this week when she jokingly entertained the notion that Jesus was willing to give Tiger Woods crabs.
The Jan. 9 broadcast of Fox's "The Wanda Sykes Show" featured a sketch in which two actors playing Jesus and Buddha appeared as "guests" on the Fox News Channel show "The O'Reilly Factor" during which the former Fox News anchor expounded on his comments.
"This week, Brit Hume went on ‘The O'Reilly Factor' to talk about the statement he made that Tiger Woods should become a Christian," Sykes said. "And I'll say this about the interview - it was really fair and balanced."
Transcript below the fold
BILL O'REILLY: On ‘Fox News Sunday,' you got into a subject that was pretty interesting. It's non-political. It's a social embarrassment for Tiger Woods. And you said this -
Tape of BRIT HUME: He's said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, Tiger turn your faith - turn to the Christian faith.
O'REILLY: Was that proselytizing?
HUME: I don't think so, I mean...
JESUS IMPERSONATOR: I'm sorry, can I jump in here, Bill? Isn't the definition of proselytizing trying to convert someone to your religion? Don't ask me. I'm just the son of God. I'm not a dictionarian.
HUME: I was really meaning to say in those comments yesterday more about Christianity than I was about anything else. I mentioned the Buddhism only because his mother's a Buddhist.
BUDDHA IMPERSONATOR: Your mother's a Buddhist.
JESUS IMPERSONATOR: Oh that's funny.
BUDDHA IMPERSONATOR: Thank you so much. But please, Buddhists are know for absolving people, no matter how famous they are or how bad their transgressions. We forgave Richard Gere for ‘Dr. T & the Women.'
JESUS IMPERSONATOR: Sweet me. That movie sucked.
BUDDHA IMPERSONATOR: It was unwatchable.
JESUS IMPERSONATOR: It just wasn't good.
BUDDHA IMPERSONATOR: I was on a date.
JESUS IMPERSONATOR: Anyway, back to you Brit, please.
BUDDHA IMPERSONATOR: Please Brit.
HUME: I think that Jesus Christ offers Tiger Woods something that Tiger Woods badly needs.
BUDDHA IMPERSONATOR: What Tiger badly needs is a good ass-kicking. But that's just my karma talking.
JESUS IMPERSONATOR: I'm more of a turn the other cheek kind of guy. Maybe I could just give him crabs and fun. I'll see what I can do.
O'REILLY: Thanks very much. We appreciate it.
JESUS IMPERSONATOR: Love you Buddha.
BUDDHA IMPERSONATOR: Love you Jesus, Brit, Bill..
There exists a fine line between tasteful religious jokes, and ones that blatantly offend the sensibilities of any reasonable/average/rational human being. With more than three-quarters of Americans identifying themselves as Christian, Sykes risked a lot with a sexually charged Jesus joke.
This risky content is not new for the comedienne. She made multiple off-color remarks at last year's White House Correspondent's Dinner when she suggested that she hoped conservative talk show titan Rush Limbaugh's kidneys would fail him.
Some might argue that the Sykes skit pushed the boundary with the suggestion that the humble Jewish savior would willingly inflict genital lice on the world's greatest golfer merely as an alternative to "a good ass-kicking."
