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Pete Davidson: Catholic leaders demand apology after SNL star’s comment about sex abuse scandal

Brooklyn-based clergymen called the skit 'disgraceful and offensive skit'

Jack Shepherd
Tuesday 12 March 2019 04:45 EDT
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Saturday Night Live mock R Kelly's interview during cold open

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Catholic leaders have called on Saturday Night Live to apologise after cast member Pete Davidson compared the church’s sex abuse scandal to the allegations against R Kelly.

The Diocese of Brooklyn are demanding the series’ producers say sorry for the “disgraceful and offensive skit”, according to Deadline.

Davidson drew parallels between the clergy and Kelly over the weekend.

“This guy is a monster and he should go to jail forever,” Davidson said during the episode’s ‘Weekend Update’ segment.

“But 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.”

Releasing a statement online, the Diocese of Brooklyn said they wanted an “immediate public apology from Saturday Night Live and NBC after Saturday night’s disgraceful and offensive skit.”

Church leaders added: “Apparently, the only acceptable bias these days is against the Catholic Church. The faithful of our Church are disgusted by the harassment by those in news and entertainment, and this sketch offends millions.”

The statement concludes that the church “strives every day” to prevent sexual abuse and called the “insensitivity” of the show’s creative team “alarming”.

The same episode of Saturday Night Live opened with a sketch recreating Kelly’s recent interview with Gayle King.

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