The Muscular Dystrophy Association, according to reports, has decided to sever its ties to entertainer Jerry Lewis, who has been the national chairman of MDA for the last several years. After 45 years of hosting a Labor Day telethon to raise funds for MDA, Lewis will not be present for the 46th renewal of the event on September 4-5, but has planned a press conference following the telethon to discuss his future.
Lewis, 85, has been involved in some controversial incidents related to the telethon in recent years, most recently in 2007 when he stopped short of using a homophobic slur on the air. I've seen tabloids like The Globe with headlines claiming that some of the patients that MDA is helping supposedly were being neglected or mistreated, but, considering the source of those headlines, it's uncertain whether or not there was any truth to those stories.
It was originally announced in May that Lewis would host this year's event, trimmed from 21 1/2 hours down to 6, and then retire. Plans have since changed, but what isn't certain at press time is whether or not the telethon will return to the traditional two-day, 21 1/2 hour format after all. What led MDA to decide on August 3 that Lewis wouldn't be a part of this year's show isn't certain, either, and both Lewis & MDA reps are keeping mum on exactly what the circumstances are. With the telethon 4 1/2 weeks away, it's going to be hard to picture the event without Lewis being involved in some form or another.
2 comments:
It's so sad to hear that Jerry Lewis' finale with the MDA has to end this way.
He was very devoted to the cause and was instrumental in making Muscular Dystrophy known to the world at large.
Right now, no one is divulging further details, and Lewis is promising a statement following the telethon, which, in fact, will be just 6 hours in length on 9/4. No more Labor Day marathons for MDA.
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