Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson and other civil rights leaders on Monday, September 19 demanded an apology from TV host Jimmy Kimmel for his slur of the late famed civil rights attorney Johnnie Cochran. Kimmel made the despicable Emmy award ceremony crack that Cochran was in hell for defending O.J. Simpson.
“Kimmel, shamelessly and disgracefully used his popular TV show host platform to slander famed late civil rights attorney Johnnie Cochran,” says Hutchinson, “Cochran’s sin to Kimmel was that he was part of the Simpson’s defense team, a cherished constitutional right of all criminal defendants, ” says Hutchinson, “Kimmel disgraced himself and insulted those who regard Cochran as a champion of civil rights and constitutional protections with this slur. We call for a prompt apology to Cochran’s family and the public.”
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, President Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable
Dwayne Wyatt, L.A Black Employees for Fairness
Debbie Washington National Council of Negro Women
Robert Taylor, Black Ministerial Alliance
Lita Herron, President Youth Advocacy Coalition
Pedro Baez, Founder Voice of the People
Skip Townsend, Cease Fire
Vicky Lindsay Project Cry No More
Hutchinson and the other civil rights leaders aren’t the only ones pissed at Kimmel for the joke.
Former Johnnie Cochran associate, Carl Douglas also lashed out at Kimmel, after Courtney B. Vance won Best Actor in a Limited Series. Kimmel said, “I have to believe Johnnie Cochran is smiling up at us tonight.”
The idea that Cochran went to hell for repping O.J. was too much for Douglas to bear:
“That was a terribly offensive joke that Jimmy Kimmel made about my mentor and hero Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.”
Hmm, speaking of Carl Douglas, the attorney has sympathy for his former O.J. Simpson trial opponent, Marcia Clark … but only up to a point … says TMZ.
In fact, Douglas appeared “TMZ Live” to talk about “The People v. O.J. Simpson” kicking butt at the Emmys. Marcia Clark was there with Sarah Paulson, who played her in the series and ended up winning a trophy. Paulson even made a special shout-out/apology to Marcia during her acceptance speech.
Check out Douglas:
