The Inside Amy Schumer writer who sparked a backlash for comments about rape victims has struck a defiant tone, dismissing his media critics as “assholes” and declaring that he “will never stop mocking victim culture”.
“If i gotta have 20 more news outlets slander me so be it. Im not being bullied by these cattle and i do not give a fuck. Im a comic. I cant be fired,” Kurt Metzger, a regular writer for the popular Comedy Central show, told the Guardian.
He added: “And my bet is when people see i stood up to these assholes they will wanna come see me. I never directed anything at a rape victim. Im appalled thats the headline. Does anyone give one shit about what’s true? Anyone?”
Metzger’s initial, widely-condemned Facebook post, which was taken down on Thursday, was a response to news that women in the New York City entertainment scene had accused a prominent comedian at Upright Citizens Brigade, a famous comedy club, of sexual assault. A woman reportedly warned others about the comedian in a private Facebook group on Saturday.
In his initial post Metzger mocked the alleged victims in the case in the online rant, which was filled with offensive references to female rape survivors and parodied the idea that they should be believed when they do not report an incident to the police. “They are women! ALL women are as reliable as my bible! A book that, much like a women, is incapable of lying!”
Schumer initially responded to the backlash by reportedly blocking women on Twitter who said they were fans and asked that she fire Metzger. She later condemned his comments and noted that he isn’t a current writer for the show, which is on hiatus. But critics and victims’ advocates have said they were disappointed that the comedian, considered one of the most powerful feminist voices in comedy, has not more aggressively denounced Metzger or officially severed ties with him.
In one of many additional public Facebook posts since the controversy erupted, Metzger appeared to express regret, saying that he has “always been in defense of the victims of assault” and adding: “I stand by the points I made, but I sincerely apologize for using inflammatory language to make them.”
However Metzger showed less contrition in other public Facebook posts, and also appeared to double-down in a series of Facebook message exchanges with a Guardian reporter, sent in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“Don’t fucking complain about the police not helping if you didn’t bother going to the police at all,” he said in one of the public posts.
“Rape is hard to prove. That’s why you can’t dick around on twitter first. Time is of the essence.” Metzger used highly-derogatory language against women before adding that his critics should “try actually helping victims instead of spotlighting how unique and enlightened you are for being against rape”.
In his exchange with the Guardian, Metzger shared messages that, he said, were from rape victims who wrote to him expressing gratitude for his comments.
He added: “Im the one who actually cares about victims … I really dislike this social media groupthink and ill be goddamned if im gonna roll over … Prosecuting rape on social media is wrong plain and simple.”
He also took issue with reports that characterized him as insulting survivors, saying: “I would never mock a rape victim … I will never stop mocking victim culture … There is a big fucking difference.”
Victims’ advocates have repeatedly noted that there are many reasons survivors of assault do not turn to the police for help. Critics argue that law enforcement often discount women and that the process of a criminal trial can be re-traumatizing without leading to any meaningful justice or accountability for offenders.
A US justice department this month, for example, uncovered that police and prosecutors in Baltimore openly expressed their contempt for a woman who had reported a sexual assault, with one writing that the victim “seems like a conniving little whore”.
Metzger – who has writing credits on 39 episodes of Inside Amy Schumer, including the most recent season finale that aired in June – has in the past been accused of harassing women online.
