Brett Ratner writes an apology letter and resigns as producer for the Oscars

November 8th 2011, 7:55pm

Recently, our own Mike Sampson did an interview with TOWER HEIST director, Brett Ratner. While I know that a lot of us get douche vibes from him, it’s not like we know him on a personal level.

However, he does say a lot of “insert foot in mouth” shit. Like the other day he said that “rehearsal is for fags” and even gave some details into his sex life on the Howard Stern Show. Last week, he talked about how he banged Olivia Munn then forgot about her. There was also something about shrimp cocktail and masturbation.

Well, it looks like all his shenanigans, especially the rehearsal comment have caused some major waves in the entertainment community. In response to this, Ratner has written an open apology letter on his actions and gives his resignation as producer for the Oscars.

Academy President Tom Sherak responded to Ratner’s actions, “He did the right thing for the Academy and for himself. Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We all hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent.”

Read the apology below:

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few days, I’ve gotten a well-deserved earful from many of the people I admire most in this industry expressing their outrage and disappointment over the hurtful and stupid things I said in a number of recent media appearances. To them, and to everyone I’ve hurt and offended, I’d like to apologize publicly and unreservedly.

As difficult as the last few days have been for me, they cannot compare to the experience of any young man or woman who has been the target of offensive slurs or derogatory comments. And they pale in comparison to what any gay, lesbian, or transgender individual must deal with as they confront the many inequalities that continue to plague our world. So many artists and craftspeople in our business are members of the LGBT community, and itpains me deeply that I may have hurt them. I should have known this all along, but at least I know it now: words do matter. Having love in your heart doesn’t count for much if what comesout of your mouth is ugly and bigoted.

With this in mind, and to all those who understandably feel that apologies are not enough, please know that I will be taking real action over the coming weeks and months in an effort to do everything I can both professionally and personally to help stamp out the kind of thoughtless bigotry I’ve so foolishly perpetuated.
As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career.

But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents. I am grateful to GLAAD for engaging me in a dialogue about what we can do together to increase awareness of the important and troubling issues this episode has raised and I look forward to working with them. I am incredibly lucky to have a career in this business that I love with all of my heart and to be able to work alongside so many of my heroes. I deeply regret my actions and I am determined to learn from this experience.

Sincerely,

Brett Ratner