Mel Brooks sparks outrage with his new Hitler joke
Mel Brooks finds himself at the center of controversy again – this time for a new joke about Adolf Hitler that has been labeled ‘offensive and outrageous’ by critics, although the 99-year-old comedy legend insists he’s just doing what he’s always done: making people laugh by saying the unspeakable.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the reaction that ensued after Brooks addressed an audience in Los Angeles at a promotional event for the revival of The producersjoked, “Hitler was bad to every Jew in the world, but he was good to me.”
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Brooks doesn’t understand the reaction
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Brooks finds himself at the center of controversy again.
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The phrase, intended as a reference to his long-standing defense of mocking dictators, drew immediate condemnation on social media, where users accused him of “mocking history” and “ignoring modern sensibilities.”
A source close to the comedian has now claimed: “Mel honestly doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. He’s been making jokes about Hitler for almost 60 years and never meant them in support of the man. For him, comedy is about taking away the power of evil, not giving it back. He just doesn’t get the idea of ’woke’ – it’s a different language to him.”
Brooks, whose iconic 1967 film The producers famous feature of the song Spring for Hitlerhas long defended his decision to satirize Nazism.
When the film first premiered, he faced protests from rabbis and Jewish organizations before eventually winning them over with his argument that ridicule was the most powerful form of resistance.
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Comedy without rules?
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Brooks made a joke about Adolf Hitler, which led to backlash.
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“You can’t fight fascism with speeches,” he once said. “You fight it with a smile.” But times have changed, and some in the industry believe Brooks’ groundbreaking humor no longer sits comfortably in the current climate.
A Hollywood insider claimed: “Mel still believes that comedy should have no rules. He thinks audiences are now too thin-skinned, and he refuses to censor himself. It used to be refreshing, now it’s controversial.”
The commotion comes as Brooks celebrated the return of The producers to London’s West End and developing Space Balls 2, a sequel to his 1987 Star Wars parody. Speaking recently from his home in Santa Monica, he said he was “busier than ever” and working late into the night.
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The 99-year-old is still working, as he is currently making a sequel to ‘Spaceballs’.
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He said, “I like to write late because no one calls, no one bothers me. I’m all alone with my characters and I’m happy.”
Friends say the latest outrage has done little to dampen his spirits.
“He laughs about it,” said one longtime employee. “Mel is called names with all possible intentions: offensive, outrageous and even dangerous, but he thrives on that energy. When people talk, it means he is still relevant.”
Not everyone agrees. Some critics have accused Brooks of being “stuck in the past,” with one commentator writing online that he has “no idea what wokery even means, and maybe that’s the problem.”
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Some fans have defended the director’s brassy humor.
Others have defended him, arguing that his work has always been based on resistance and not cruelty. Brooks himself remains unrepentant.
“People understood that I did not support Hitler,” he said years ago when questioned about this The producers. “If you make fun of tyrants, you win.”
Now insiders say he privately jokes about being “cancelled by people who don’t get the joke.” The comedian, who still writes daily despite his advanced age, says his goal has never changed.
“Comedy tells us more about who we are than tragedy ever could,” he said. “If it makes you laugh and think, it’s done its job.”
A close friend summed up Brooks’ position this way: “He’s old-fashioned – he doesn’t filter himself and never will. Mel thinks the real danger isn’t off-color jokes, it’s that people stop laughing altogether.”
