Many attendees of the roast, including Walker's friend and co-star Ludacris, were deeply offended by the off-colour jokes.
After much uproar, the edited broadcast of Justin Bieber’s Comedy Central roast will not include jokes about the late actor Paul Walker.
Most of the jokes at the March 14th taping went down very well, including many brutal ones at Bieber’s expense, but a spokeperson for Comedy Central has stated to the Hollywood Reporter that the remarks about the Fast & Furious actor will be cut during the edit before its March 30th broadcast.
Jokes about the late Paul Walker (above) will be cut from the Bieber roast
The statement read: “Roasts often push the limits of good taste and we give the participants full rein to try things knowing we have the edit to shape the show. Sometimes the line is discovered by crossing it. The Paul Walker references will not be in the telecast.”
More: ‘Furious 7’ premieres at SXSW festival to cheers for Paul Walker
Reportedly, the references to Walker were met with almost total silence. Rapper Ludacris, who was Walker’s friend and co-star during the Fast & Furious series, was apparently “deeply upset” by them, apparently at one point motioning for the filming to be cut.
A source close to Ludacris told the New York Daily News that the quips “were in absolute poor taste and silenced the audience, leaving many upset guests - especially Chris, as Paul was like a brother to him, on and off screen.”
Walker died in November 2013, halfway through shooting the seventh instalment of the successful film franchise, after being involved in a car crash. ‘Furious 7’ made its premiere at the SXSW festival over the weekend, with the project being completed via a rewrite and Walker’s two brothers stepping in to complete his unfinished scenes.
Among the offensive jokes in question was this one by comedian Jeff Ross, who compared Bieber’s driving skills to Walker’s, saying “'Move b***h, get out of the way!' is what Paul Walker should've told that tree. Too soon? Too fast? Too furious?” Oof.
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