# Jerry Lewis: still an asshole at 90 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232 "2016-12-20T15:18:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/41 "2016-12-21T15:32:22Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Why do old people get a pass for being dicks? Shhh, I’m just about to get old, and I’m practicing my “curmudgeon who’s seen it all and doesn’t give a rat’s ass any more” schtick… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/42 "2016-12-21T17:09:07Z")
I got him solidly in my [2017 Dead Pool.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=812514) C’mon Jerry, don’t let me down, you crusted over little prick. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/43 "2016-12-21T17:34:30Z")
> [@](#): > > subject moves to age > > SW: I hear you’re 97. That’s wonderful! > Carrie: No it’s not. > SW: Well, don’t you like being 97? > Carrie: No. I’m ready to go and be Mam and Papa and my sisters. > SW: But we need you here! We want you to live to be at least a hundred! > Carrie: Why? > > [pause- pretty good question, really] > > SW: Because… just think of all the things you remember. Like… I’ll bet you remember horses and wagons don’t you? > Carrie: Yes. > SW: Tell me about them! > Carrie: The horse pulled the wagon. > > [pause] > Can I die now? I want Carrie to live to a hundred just so we can hear conversations like this. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/44 "2016-12-21T17:58:51Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Why do old people get a pass for being dicks? The entire premise of the interview, the reason why they were there, was to interview people who were still working at 90+, so of course there are going to be questions about how old he is. If Lewis didn’t want to answer those kinds of questions, which, again was the very subject of the interview, he shouldn’t agree to the interview. I’d guess that if he was ignored and felt that the entertainment industry had forgotten him, he’d be pissed. And not what he’s being interviewed as an old timer (which he clearly is) he’s pissed. Dick ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/45 "2016-12-21T17:59:45Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Note to interviewer: When you’re interviewing an old person, don’t make every goddamn question about how old he is. Don’t ask him to compare himself to other people … all of whom are long-dead. Don’t come off as someone who never even heard of the guy before, but looked him up on Wiki just prior to the interview. Don’t treat an old guy as just an old guy, as if the only thing you know about him is that he’s 90 years old. I admire Jerry Lewis for letting the interview continue as long as it did. Hamlet beat me to it. If you don’t want to answer questions about being 90 and still working don’t agree to an interview about being over 90 and still working. It was for a documentary about people who are over 90 and still working. You see a theme here? He knew what he was getting into but decided to be a prick. > [@CandidGamera](#): > > I’m torn. The interview was apparently part of a series with over-90 Hollywood types, with the thesis of the set being “Even though you are almost dead, why haven’t you retired?” > > I have to confess I’d probably give an interview like this under those circumstances. Or how about just not give an interview? This wasn’t an ambush. If it was a subject he didn’t want to explore he just didn’t have to agree to it. To remind people this is how he treats fans who pay to see him. > **[Jerry Lewis Is Still Alive (and Still a Piece Of Shit)](https://www.vice.com/en/article/9bzkjz/jerry-lewis-is-still-alive)** > > Elderly comedian Jerry Lewis performed in La Mirada, California, and insulted his adoring fans for two hours. He left them begging for more. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/46 "2016-12-21T18:38:52Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Just cancel the interview if you’re that pissed off. There is no reason, other than you’re a egotistical prick, to treat other people like that. > > Why do old people get a pass for being dicks? The entire premise of the interview, the reason why they were there, was to interview people who were still working at 90+, so of course there are going to be questions about how old he is. If Lewis didn’t want to answer those kinds of questions, which, again was the very subject of the interview, he shouldn’t agree to the interview. Absolutely. He is (was) famous. He is (probably) rich. He (probably) regularly has people fawning over him. So what. He was an absolute dick in this interview, from start to finish. And it doesn’t appear to be due to dementia. He’s just being an asshole. I wouldn’t have been bothered if the interviewer stopped at about the 5-minute mark and said “Well, fuck you you old has-been. Go torment and badger the poor souls who work for you and have to put up with your bullshit.” Or, start asking really awkward questions, like “Did Dean Martin have to get drunk before he let you suck his cock?” ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/47 "2016-12-22T03:16:01Z")
I saw Jerry Lewis as a guest host, talking about things in between movies, on Turner Classic Movies one night not that long ago. He sounded pretty talkative then. TCM was showing some of his movies, maybe a couple that hadn’t been seen on the channel before. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2016, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/48 "2016-12-22T04:13:31Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > But if you DO accept an interview request, there’s no excuse for being a dick. You never know. When I first saw the B.B. Thornton interview I thought he was being a dick. However when you read in to the backstory, you see why he acted so. Thornton acceded to the interview on the strict condition that it would be about the band and the music only, not about himself being a famous actor. Yet the first question out of the interviewers mouth is about Thornton being a famous actor. And that Giomesh asshole is acting all innocent, like, “what did I say?!???”. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2016, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/49 "2016-12-22T05:56:18Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > He spent decades hosting the Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day telethon. Dicks don’t make that kind of charitable effort. Well, I can tell you a story about a group that raised a butt-load of money for this Shit-hook, and he totally blew them off, didn’t let them on the show, didn’t acknowledge the effort and was a dick-hole for good measure. I guess I just did, kinda. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2016, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/50 "2016-12-22T23:48:45Z")
Has he been an asshole all his life? If not, around what time/age did he start acquiring the asshole reputation? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/51 "2016-12-23T00:25:47Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Has he been an asshole all his life? If not, around what time/age did he start acquiring the asshole reputation? I seem to recall a fairly nasty breakup between him and Dino in the mid-50s. He was pretty smug about not needing him and was sure that Martin would be nothing without him. Sorta backfired. While Lewis had a few more money making films, Martin had a successful movie, TV and recording career. Lewis’s idiot-man-child shtick wore out pretty quickly, and nobody took him seriously as a dramatic actor or romantic lead, even though he tried it in a couple of movies. He also couldn’t sing worth a shit, but still kept trying to pull it off. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/52 "2016-12-23T00:26:32Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Has he been an asshole all his life? If not, around what time/age did he start acquiring the asshole reputation? In my family, he’s been considered an asshole for more than 50 years. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/53 "2016-12-23T02:26:04Z")
Jerry Lewis is an asshole, and was and is famous for being an asshole. And I say that as someone whose father was bedridden from muscular dystrophy. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/54 "2016-12-23T02:45:35Z")
this reminds me of a interview with paul McCartney a couple of years ago … paul wanted to talk about the tour and a couple of related projects for charity and all the interviewer wanted to do was harp on the hes a vegan and all the food on the tour he provides is too after the 4th or 5th question he actually said “look I don’t make anyone fucking eat anything they don’t like or want , and since I pay the people who work for me they are totally free to pay for themselves to eat how and where they want . now can we talk about something else” The thing about jerry lewis is a lof of his comedy and the “wacky” things/stunts he did are now signs of personality disorders .;… Like I have old coronet( s celebrity/humor readers digest really issues that show how funny he was that when he bought a set of batteries hed have to buy all of them in the store and the reaction was " oh that’s so wacky" One of his adopted kids wrote later " when people thought that was funny they missed the part that when he needed a flashlight and it didn’t have battery hed get into an unspeakable hulk like rage jump in a car fly to the store and just arm swipe all the batteries in to a cart shove them through the line and rage home … But when hed calm down and realized what he did hed get pissed off again because no one made sure there was batteries in the flashlight in case he needed it and that made him spend money … At some point it became the house staffs job to make sure they had everything just in case … ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/55 "2016-12-23T13:57:51Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > You never know. When I first saw the B.B. Thornton interview I thought he was being a dick. However when you read in to the backstory, you see why he acted so. Thornton acceded to the interview on the strict condition that it would be about the band and the music only, not about himself being a famous actor. Yet the first question out of the interviewers mouth is about Thornton being a famous actor. And that Giomesh asshole is acting all innocent, like, “what did I say?!???”. Not exactly. All the interview did was mention Hey this is Billy Bob the actor but now he’s a musician so let’s talk about that. His first question was an incredulous one about releasing 3 albums in one year. [Watch the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJWS6qyy7bw). BB is high as fuck and the bandmates are already uncomfortable before the interview starts. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/56 "2016-12-23T14:33:13Z")
> **[Jerry Lewis Destroys Reporter in the Best Interview of 2016](https://movieweb.com/jerry-lewis-2016-interview-video-hollywood-reporter/)** > > 90-year-old Jerry Lewis proves to be most uncooperative in a hilarious new interview that brings 2016 to a close in the best way possible. What I’m scratching my head about is why they didn’t mic up the interviewer(?) ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/57 "2016-12-24T16:31:11Z")
I wonder if there will be some tell-all books after he passes away, a collection of all the obnoxious behaviors. I’ve read bits here and bits there. I remember he ran rampant on a golf cart at a movie studio back in the day, driving around unfettered and causing trouble, and no one had the nerve to tell him to knock it off. I’ve heard he treated his son Gary Lewis (who had some pretty big hit songs) badly back in the 60’s, out of jealousy, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/58 "2016-12-24T18:46:56Z")
I heard about the interview, but just watched it now. He doesn’t seem nearly as bad as I’ve heard from him before. For Jerry, this was decent. For the most part, he listened to the guy and tried to answer his questions. He’s a jerk in general, but this was about as well behaved as he gets. I’m trying to find a write-up about a meet and greet show he did a few years ago. He talked for awhile and agreed to take questions from the audience. He was horrible. Rude, insulting, etc. One older woman held on to a record or book of his from years ago and asked him to sign it. He refused, which really seems unnecessary for such an old fan of his. Worse, he insulted all the people who lined up to ask questions. I think it was written up on the AVclub, but I can’t find it. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/59 "2016-12-24T22:41:31Z")
Can barely watch the thing on the terrible embedded player on the site, but what little I can stand to watch leads me to think… > [@Icarus](#): > > Eh, perhaps he shouldn’t have agreed to the interview. But, I gotta say, if were 90, and a legend, and some lame kid started asking me those stupid questions, I would probably react the same way. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232/60 "2016-12-24T23:38:14Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I wonder if there will be some tell-all books after he passes away, a collection of all the obnoxious behaviors. I’ve read bits here and bits there. I remember he ran rampant on a golf cart at a movie studio back in the day, driving around unfettered and causing trouble, and no one had the nerve to tell him to knock it off. I’ve heard he treated his son Gary Lewis (who had some pretty big hit songs) badly back in the 60’s, out of jealousy, maybe. What more could they say about him after he’s gone? His reputation as a hyper, moody, egomanical, short-tempered prick has been publicly well-known for years. Short of evidence of him committing some detestable acts of jaw-dropping awfulness that have managed to be covered up for many years (e.g., something like Bill Cosby’s felonious misdeeds but ten times more severe), I can’t think of anything else they could dig up about him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis-still-an-asshole-at-90/775232.md?page=4)