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Twitter Unleashes Fury on Food Network Host Josh Denny Over ‘N-Word’ Comments

The host has been slammed for comparing “straight white male” to the “n-word” 

Josh Denny
Michael S. Schwartz /Getty

Josh Denny, a stand-up comedian who is perhaps best known as the host of Food Network series Ginormous Food, invoked the wrath of Twitter over the weekend by asserting that “straight white male” is a derogatory term tantamount to the most offensive word in the English language:

This is the first message in a nine-tweet thread that references both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Kanye West, and ends with a plug for his new comedy album. Twitter users wasted no time in dragging Denny over his rant:

Denny’s remarks also prompted some Twitter users to dig through the comedian’s backlog of Tweets, which contain several truly ugly messages from years ago:

As the backlash raged, Denny stuck to his guns about his initial statements and even remarked that he liked the “healthy debate” unfolding on Twitter:

The owners of Santa Monica’s Westside Comedy Theatre, where Denny has hosted a monthly show for four years, did not appreciate this “healthy debate.” As Denny explains in a Facebook post published on Saturday, they actually canceled his show following the Twitter rant. “Not surprisingly today, the venue owners called me to say that the show is done, and I’m not welcome at the club — based on their desire to be ‘inclusive,’’’ Denny writes. “But as the internet is teaching us, with people like Owen Benjamin, Steven Crowder, Ben Shapiro, and Jordan Peterson — that doesn’t include ‘diversity’ in ideas or thought.”

The Food Network has not commented on Denny’s rant, but it certainly does not look great for the host of a Triple D-esque travel show about extra-large comfort foods to be engaging in what could easily be viewed as white nationalist rhetoric on Twitter. The most recent season of Ginormous Foods aired in fall 2017, and this tweet indicates that the comedian has not worked with the network since that series wrapped up:

Denny is still prominently featured on the Food Network homepage, and he lists the network and show in his Twitter bio. Eater has reached out to the Food Network for comment. Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.

Josh Denny [Twitter]
Josh Denny [Facebook]
Comedian Josh Denny Gets Roasted for Comparing ‘N-Word’ to ‘Straight White Male’ [Complex]

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