Fallout from Edinburgh Fringe row

Jerry Sadowitz says he’s been cancelled by another venue because of the fallout from the furore surrounding his Edinburgh Fringe performance.

The controversial comedian had been due to play Olby’s Creative Hub in Margate on September 17 – but that gig has now been pulled.

Writing on his website, Sadowitz said: ‘The owner of the venue read what happened in Edinburgh and decided dot cancel due to me being "unsafe, racist, homophobic and misogynist". People… I am SO much more than that.’

The post was accompanied by a caricature of himself captioned ‘comedy monster’.

Olby’s has not responded to Chortle’s request for comment, but promoter Walnut Whip said on its website that the gig would not be going ahead for ‘ a variety of reasons’.

They added: ‘We’re still on good terms with Jerry Sadowitz and are hoping to arrange something in the near future.’

Sadowitz had been due to launch Walnut Whip’s new regular  comedy night at Olby’s. The gig will now be starting in December   at  the Famous Cliff Bar at Margate Lido.

The comic embarks on a UK tour next month, starting with a run of shows across Scotland and including a night at the Hammersmith Apollo in London – added after sparking a major free speech row after his Fringe run was cut short.

Sadowitz had been due to play two nights at Edinburgh’s EICC, but the second was pulled amid complaints that his material was ‘extreme in its racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny’ and that he flashed his penis.

The Pleasance, which programmes the venue during the Fringe, said punters ‘felt uncomfortable and unsafe to remain in the venue’ and added: 'We will not associate with content which attacks people’s dignity and the language used on stage was, in our view, completely unacceptable.’

Venue chief Anthony Alderson insisted: The Pleasance is a venue that champions freedom of speech and we do not censor comedians’ material' – but added, in apparent contradiction: 'This type of material has no place on the festival and the Pleasance will not be presenting his second and final show.’

After the cancellation, which attracted widespread headlines Sadowitz issued his own statement saying: ‘I did a 75-minute show for 600 people that went pretty well and left with no hint of anything going wrong. In addition to now being told there were multiple walkouts and "abuse of staff" my act is now being cheapened and simplified as unsafe, homophobic, misogynistic and racist.

‘I am not J** D******* folks. [possibly Jim Davidson?] A lot of thought goes into my shows… I am offended by those who, having never seen me before, HEAR words being shouted in the first five minutes before storming out without LISTENING to the material which I am stupid enough to believe is funny, sometimes important and worth saying.

‘Additionally, there's a lot of silly, exaggerated irony and nonsense, real and exaggerated anger and bile, and even getting my dick out is for the purpose of the funny line which follows it.’

Published: 5 Sep 2022