Chael Sonnen Makes Rihanna Jokes, Is Kind Of A Scumbag

[Con T.]

So, apparently this happened on Fox Sports One. Don't feel bad if you don't watch; no one does

http://deadspin.com/chael-sonnen-no...source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

If you look hard enough at :25 into the video, you can see Chael's thought process flash before his eyes. I read it a little like this:

Yeah, I got this hot take right here! No one's ever said that Floyd Mayweather hasn't beaten anyone and should fight Manny Pacquiao! But I need to have a real strong joke to get my name out there. I gotta make this a moment! I know! I'll make a Rihanna joke! That's extremely topical now! Now I'm sure to get my name out there! HERP DERP AMERICAN GANGSTER CHAEL'S AT IT AGAIN TRT!

Thaaaaaat's Chael!

At this point, it's beyond parody. The game is up, and everyone gets the game; the originality is gone. I'm more offended by the thought Chael still thinks he can milk his meal ticket than the actual joke (don't get me wrong, the joke is tasteless and kinda shows how much a cunt he is.). When Gary Payton is guffawing at your joke, you know you probably are a shite bag.

The Chael game is as predictable as the sunset now. But is there a point when we hold douchebags accountable, even if we blatantly see right through what they're doing? Two questions;

A. Should Chael see some form of punishment for this?

B. At what point do we old douhebags accountable, even in trolling?

 

[HBsam31]

Chael Sonnen is a never was in the world of fighting. He isn't entertaining, and he couldn't lace Floyd Mayweather's boots. My question is to the OP though is punished how and by who? Hold him accountable for what? As tasteless as the joke was I don't really see how he could be punished. I believe we are still allowed to make jokes in these United States. I agree totally that he is a douche, but I think if he was ignored then he would just fade into obscurity where he belongs. Like I said I agree with the OP totally, I am just not sure where you are going with the whole being punished and held accountable stuff. What exactly do you suggest?

 

[Slash-LN]

I don't feel he should be punished for anything. It was a dumb joke but he didn't really cross any lines. Is it different because of who he is? Because it was said on t.v.? I'm sure other people on t.v. have made similar or worse jokes.
I doubt the network will take any action unless they lose sponsor contracts which I highly doubt happening.

 

[LSN80]

I don't feel he should be punished for anything. It was a dumb joke but he didn't really cross any lines.

How not? He made a joke about Domestic Violence on National Television, and I don't care if 15 or 1500 people were watching, it's disgusting and far across the proverbial line for an "expert commentator" to make.

Is it different because of who he is? Because it was said on t.v.? I'm sure other people on t.v. have made similar or worse jokes.

Of course it's different, in some contexts. You have a man who is supposed to be an analyst of a fight, and he makes a joke about a young woman who was assaulted badly.

He was there as a so-called professional, and he was anything but. It's no less offensive than if you or I had made it, but there is a higher level of accountability for Chael because of his celebrity status, and his role on the show as an analyst.

And he should be the last to be making jokes about the hapless being knocked out, seeing how his last few fights have turned out for him.

I doubt the network will take any action unless they lose sponsor contracts which I highly doubt happening.

Shouldn't matter. At the least, they should issue a verbal or written statement from the President of Fox, or Fox Sports One, condemning Chael's statement and how it in no way is a reflection of the views of the company. Which, commendably, they did.

FOX Sports regrets the comments Chael Sonnen made during last night's edition of FOX Sports Live. They were an inappropriate attempt at humor that Sonnen acknowledges shouldn’t have been made and he apologizes to anyone who may have been offended by his remarks.

This is well and good, FoxSports, but you know what would have really been swell?

Had you not apologized for Chael, and he have done it himself.

Of course, this is the media conglomerate that runs programs such as It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League, and Wilfred, all shows I admittedly watch but are utterly tasteless, and at times, downright offensive, albeit funny.

I'm glad Chael finds that to be suitable as the subject of a joke. "Too soon", Chael? It always will be.

 

[Slash-LN]

I feel like there's a double standard here. Seth Macfarlane made a joke about it at the Oscars and while some people were offended a lot of people defended him saying things like "That's just Seth being Seth."

There was this tweet

“You're allowed to laugh at jokes about Chris Brown and Rihanna. Screw Chris Brown,” tweeted movie critic Richard Roeper.

I think if Sonnen were to be held accountable then Seth and Richard both should have been as well.

I may have missed them but I don't remember threads being started calling out Seth or Richard. And the op said he's "more offended by the thought Chael still thinks he can milk his meal ticket than the actual joke". (Even though he did say he found the joke tasteless.)

I didn't find the joke funny by any means. I stated it was dumb and I'm not trying to defend it in anyway.

I just feel like there should be equal action taken against people for the same things.

I would also feel hypocritical attacking him when a friend of mine said "She probably wouldn't quit singing." in response to what happened and I didn't say anything to my friend about her comment.

I just don't think it fair to pick and choose who we're going to chastise for the comments they make.

I understand Chael has a history of making idiotic statements but so does Seth.

So no I don't support domestic violence but let's treat everyone equal.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Even though I think Rihanna's stupid and probably had what happened to her coming, domestic violence in general is a sore subject to poke fun of because sometimes it can lead to one's death.

It's been mentioned how much Sonnen likes to push the envelope when it comes to promos and biting comments, so this comes as no surprise. But he has to show sensitivity in this case, because it's a subject that allows him to be ridiculed as a wife beater. I mean if you joke about it, you might as well condone it right?

He should have said that he doesn't condone any man beating a woman and what he said isn't to be taken seriously.

The joke was in poor taste and Sonnen's better than that joke. He can come up with some witty one-liners if he sets his mind to it.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Generally speaking, what one celebrity says about another celebrity never really interested me. Hell, for all I know, maybe both Rihanna's & Sonnen's agents got them together with the purpose of staging all this in order to get some buzz. Yeah, it sounds extremely cynical, but that's an effect of the entertainment industry deliberately manufacturing shock & awe moments in order to generate attention. Rap & Hip Hop have been doing it for decades by purposely portraying some artists as drug dealing, gang banging pimps who shoot people for $10. Charlie Sheen used his supposed "meltdown" to generate a ton of international buzz and laughed all the way to the bank while doing it. That's not to suggest that every situation involving a celebrity is all about garnering press & buzz but with so much manufactured bullshit out there, how can you know what's legit and what's nothing more than promotional hype?

In terms of Sonnen, the guy's known for shooting his mouth off about anything in front of anybody if it means he gets attention. Sonnen does it so often and with such casual disregard for the potential impact of what he says, you don't know if he's being genuine or if it's all just bullshit hype. For me, after a while, I stop caring. Does it make him an insensitive asshole? Sure, quite possibly. But, then again, it's not like he's someone who'd give a shit. After all, his image is generally that of a loud mouthed tool who says whatever springs to mind. Is it who he REALLY is? I dunno but, if that isn't REALLY who he is, then he's got only himself to blame if that's how he's viewed.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Even though I think Rihanna's stupid and probably had what happened to her coming, domestic violence in general is a sore subject to poke fun of because sometimes it can lead to one's death.

It's been mentioned how much Sonnen likes to push the envelope when it comes to promos and biting comments, so this comes as no surprise. But he has to show sensitivity in this case, because it's a subject that allows him to be ridiculed as a wife beater. I mean if you joke about it, you might as well condone it right?

He should have said that he doesn't condone any man beating a woman and what he said isn't to be taken seriously.

The joke was in poor taste and Sonnen's better than that joke. He can come up with some witty one-liners if he sets his mind to it.

Personally, I'd love a little elaboration on this part of your statement.

At the end of the day, Chael Sonnen is a dirtbag who has made a career out of being controversial and pushing the proverbial envelope. So I was not surprised whatsoever to read his statement, considering the source. The joke was clearly in poor taste and I for one did not find it to be remotely funny. I know a couple of people who have been exposed to a certain degree of domestic violence, and I didn't find it funny when it happened to them, and it isn't any more humorous when it happened to Rhianna.

Even if she did have it coming to her.

 

[H33LTurn]

I think he took a jab at the media's overreaction to the Rihanna incident and thats that. There have been countless famous women who have been abused and have not reaped the media's attention, for example: fran drescher being held down and raped in front of her boyfriend, Madonna being tied up and beaten by Sean Penn for 9 hours, etc. Rihanna gained this status of perpetual victim and what once seemed like legitimate concern over what happened to her is now tiresome. What happened to her was horrible, now doubt about it, but to claim that she's above reproach, especially when the people who defend her dont care about the countless women who suffer realities 10x worse than she did and when celebrities are ridiculed for far more personal incidents than hers is just silly.