Tynan Allan says he attended the Hospital of Regina Foundation’s Four Seasons Ball fundraiser on Saturday to support various health care causes, but left the event disgusted by the evening’s entertainment.
Allan said comedian Rob Schneider’s set included transphobic, misogynistic and anti-vax jokes. Allan said he was was horrified by the content as a Black, queer person who works in equity, diversity and inclusion.
“Everyone in the room was groaning, saying ‘what is going on?” Like whispering to themselves. Not a single laugh at times,” Allan said. “It was just very apparent how uncomfortable everyone felt and how unacceptable the things he was talking about were.”
The Hospitals of Regina Foundation said Schneider was asked to end his performance early once it became clear “the performance did not meet the expectations of our audience and our team.”
Schneider immediately left the stage and the organization issued “an unconditional apology” to the guests at the fundraiser.
The Hospitals of Regina Foundation has issued an “unconditional apology” for the jokes made by a comedian that overshadowed its otherwise successful fundraiser on June 1. “We do not condone, accept, endorse or share Mr. Schneider’s positions, as expressed during his comedy set,” the Hospitals of Regina Foundation wrote in an unsigned statement.
The Hospital of Regina noted in a statement Wednesday that the Four Seasons Ball fundraiser, held at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina, was sold out and raised $350,000 for the city’s hospitals.
However, the organization reiterated its “unconditional apology” in that statement saying Rob Schneider’s jokes at a fundraiser Saturday do “not align” with the foundation’s values.
“We do not condone, accept, endorse or share Mr. Schneider’s positions, as expressed during his comedy set,” the Hospitals of Regina Foundation wrote in an unsigned statement.
The Hospitals of Regina Foundation said Schneider was booked in 2023 through its booking agent. The foundation said it would not have any further comment beyond the statement.
All references to Schneider, including a poster advertising Schneider’s appearance, have been removed from the organization’s website.
Allan said he wished the organization did due diligence before booking Schneider for the fundraising event in the first place.
“He’s been anti-vax throughout the pandemic and he’s said transphobic things for years,” Allan said.
“I understand that you’re raising money, that you sometimes need to draw a crowd, but it doesn’t take a lot to vet people and specifically to vet people from a values-based perspective.”
Schneider did not respond when asked for comment by CBC earlier this week.