Chris Burke, who has Down Syndrome, is defending Shane Gillis over the comedian’s polarizing monologue on “Saturday Night Live” … he’s got no issues with Shane making Down Syndrome jokes.
The “Life Goes On” star tells TMZ … people with Down Syndrome are just like everybody else and shouldn’t be excluded from being joked about by comedians.
Chris, the first actor with Down Syndrome to star in a TV series, says it would actually be more offensive for comedians to exclude people with Down Syndrome from being the subjects of jokes.
Shane spent the majority of his 8-minute monologue poking fun at his family … including a niece who has Down Syndrome … and he mostly glossed over the 2019 scandal that got him fired from ‘SNL.’
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SEPTEMBER 2018
Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast
Chris says folks shouldn’t pass judgment on Shane here because no one knows how he dealt and coped with having a niece with Down Syndrome. As a result, Chris feels Shane isn’t making these jokes out of ignorance.
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In fact, Shane’s jokes kinda jibe with what Chris is saying.
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A Fair One
While some people were naturally turned off by Shane, Chris sees some positives.
At the very least, he says Shane’s monologue helped start a conversation about Down Syndrome and how people living with the condition are normal folks who can experience all aspects of life, including being joked about.