December 15, 2023
‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Janelle James Criticized For ‘Uncomfortable’ Standup Set About Her Son’s Genitalia
"Abbott Elementary" star Janelle James is under fire for a resurfaced joke where she poked fun at the size of her son's genitalia.
Abbott Elementary star Janelle James is under fire for a resurfaced joke where she poked fun at the size of her son’s genitalia.
The Emmy-nominated actress has been trending for all the wrong reasons this week after one fan posted a video clip from James’ 2021 episode of Netflix’s The Standups, where she says, “My youngest son got a d – – k now. I didn’t know that.”
“I didn’t know. I didn’t know he had a d – – k,” she says in the clip. “They say you blink and you miss it. It’s true. I didn’t know he had a d – – k.”
James, who plays principal Ava Coleman on the Emmy Award-winning show, explained an awkward encounter with one of her two sons when he ran out of the bathroom.
“I was sitting on the edge of my bed, and he ran by from the bathroom. I guess he forgot a towel or whatever,” she said.
“And I was like, ‘Wtf is that?’ Like, it blew my mind. ‘That’s a d – – k. What? What?’ That’s a d – – k that needs a job. Okay? Can’t be walking around with all that d – – k and no income. That’s disrespectful.”
For James, she recalled the days when her son was smaller and she would play rhythm guitar on his “pee pee.”
“He used to have a pee-pee. The last time I saw it, it was a pee-pee,” she continued. “You change the diaper, and you play rhythm guitar on the pee-pee. Ding-ding-a-ding-ding-a-ding-ding-a-ding.”
“No other parents in here?” she asked the audience. “That’s the best part of having a baby boy.”
The Twitter/X user who posted the video clip noted how “uncomfortable” they were with the raunchy joke.
“i’ve never been so uncomfortable watching standup before like she’s a weirdo,” they wrote.
“This is soooo strange im???? like the fact that she got up in front of a crowd of people and said all that with no shame???” added someone else.
According to the NY Post, James hasn’t responded to requests for a statement on the backlash she’s facing due to the two-year-old joke.
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