NBC ALLOWS LENO TO BASH PRIESTS
The April 29 episode of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" was the occasion for yet another assault on priests. In a skit about the Royal Wedding, Dame Edna played a British correspondent. She was shown taking secret footage of the event while Leno pretended to be speaking with her live.
Dame Edna approached a vendor selling cheese called "Stinking Bishop." Upon hearing the name, she said, "Stinking Bishop? My son toyed with the priesthood. Or perhaps it was the other way around."
Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented as follows: 
Jay Leno would not be allowed to smear over 40,000 Catholic priests—over and over again—if NBC executives objected. His relentless assaults suggest a tolerance for bigotry that is disturbing. Leno and his scriptwriters are a sick bunch. What made this skit so invidious was its wholly gratuitous nature: there is no relationship between the Royal Wedding and Catholic priests. No matter, the writers just decided to jam their way in with another shot at priests.
It is time Catholics took their protest to the top as numerous complaints to Debbie Vickers, the executive producer of the show, have been dismissed.
Robert Greenblatt is the chairman of NBC Entertainment. Contact Roberta Marks, executive vice president, Publicity: Rebecca.Marks@nbcuni.com
Jeff Field
Director of Communications
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
450 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10123
212-371-3394 (fax)
