Comedian Amy Schumer, one of the three comedian hosts at March's Academy Awards Ceremony, revealed she received death threats so severe after the show the Secret Service contacted her.
Schumer seemingly did everything right in preparing to host the internationally televised event. She explained to talk show host Howard Stern during an interview she even reached out to every attendee she wrote into her bit before the event to get their permission for the jokes.
Even though Kirsten Dunst—Oscar nominee and lead actress in the film Power of the Dog—was in on Schumer's bit and approved it ahead of time, Dunst fans still came for the comedian.
In her interview with Stern, she said:
"To be honest, I did reach out to people I was going to joke about before and make sure it was okay with them because I've been burned too many times on the camera."
Schumer said she informed the Willams sisters, Will Smith and Leonardo DiCaprio of her disses, and they all gave her the green light. She informed Dunst too.
She said:
"I did a bit with Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemmons that was completely orchestrated."
"We talked beforehand."
"You know the joke was that I was pretending like I thought she was a seat filler, and you know we all worked that out together."
She continued:
"I got death threats ... They were so bad that the Secret Service reached out."
Watch the video below:
Listeners were shocked at the backlash against Schumer.
One person tweeted:
"In our radically humorless time, not only do many people not like jokes - they can’t tell when something is a joke."
"Smith assaults Rock, audience threatens Schumer."
Another person wrote:
"So as a comedian you can't roast anyone or risk getting slapped in the face or death threats."
"Hmm, not a good time to be a comedian."
Someone else noted:
"No one should receive death threats no matter how much you don’t like her jokes."
"Just don’t watch her if it triggers such animosity."
Nervous-Ness/YouTube
Nick B/YouTube
Schumer's joke was that Dunst was merely a seat filler at the ceremony, there to make the room look packed.
Fans of the Power of the Dog actress were apparently upset Schumer was "disrespecting" the actress. Dunst later posted in Schumer's defense, explaining she approved of the joke ahead of time because she knew the comedian was receiving death threats.
Schumer chocked the reactions up to sexism.
She said:
"The misogyny is unbelievable."
Others felt Schumer was in the wrong or hypocritical.
One person wrote:
"I don’t want to hear Amy Schumer saying a thing about misogyny after the gross jokes she’s made about Black and Asian women ... "
"And she’s acting as if Will isn’t facing heavy backlash already, idk why she feels the need to keep his name in her mouth."
Another person posted:
"It’s not misogyny. Schumer made a cruel and uncomfortable joke for Dunst."
"No one deserves death threats."
"Schumer could stand to gain some common sense, though. She’s out there in la la land."
CRS/YouTube
Regardless of the real reason, the severity of the backlash and overall reactions from this year's Oscars ceremony are on another level.