After his derogatory comments about disabled sports, a stage appearance by Luke Mockridge at the comedy show “NightWash” was canceled at short notice. The managing director of the venue in Paderborn, Christian Stork, told the German Press Agency on Monday. The “Bild” newspaper had previously reported. The evening with several well-known artists from the comedy scene took place on Sunday, but it went ahead without Mockridge. “NightWash” is an established comedy format that is currently on a stage tour through Germany.
The television station Sat.1 had already taken the new TV quiz “What’s in the Box?” with the 35-year-old, which was planned for this Thursday evening, off the program. Sat.1 spokesman Christoph Körfer said that Mockridge had “publicly and credibly apologized for his inappropriate words.” However, the station hopes that the comedian will find a way to “follow his apology with actions and continue to work on the issue in the interests of all people with disabilities and in the interests of all para-athletes who have impressed and enchanted us in Paris with their achievements.” Mockridge’s statements do not correspond to the station’s values, said Körfer.
The mocking sentences come from the podcast “Die Deutschen”, which was published in August but only received greater attention shortly before the closing ceremony of the Paralympics. “There are people without legs and arms who are thrown into a pool – and whoever drowns last wins,” Mockridge said, among other things.
Managing director Stork also linked the cancellation in Paderborn to Mockridge’s comments. Lampenfieber, the agency responsible for the event, confirmed to the German Press Agency that there had been a short-term change in the line-up, without giving any details. The company Brainpool, which is behind the “NightWash” format, was initially unavailable for comment.
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