US Talk Show Host Says Filipinos Can’t Speak English

Filipinos and Filipino-Americans had a mixed and considerably milder reaction to a remark by American comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, according to a report by the ABS-CBN North American News Bureau.

During his show “Jimmy Kimmel, Live!” aired over the ABC network on October 24, Kimmel told his guest, Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett, who had shot a film in the Philippines, that Filipinos probably couldn’t speak English.

Harnett appeared on the show to talk about his film “I Come with the Rain”, portions of which were shot in a remote mining colony in Mt. Diwalwal in Davao island.

Harnett told Kimmel that Filipinos in the mining town had never seen a white man in person, ever, and were thus “enamored” of the American film crew.

“Did you pretend you have powers?” Kimmel quipped.

The actor then mentioned that since the town had no government and no police force, he and the rest of the cast and crew had to be protected by Philippine Army troops.

Media reports say as many as two Philippine Army battalions guarded Hartnett and his companions for the week-long shoot.

“Did they care about you, the Filipino army, I mean, like, are they really gonna shoot it out with somebody?” asked Kimmel, to which Harnett replied that he never felt he was in any danger during the shoot.

Hartnett then mentioned that local authorities were concerned because they were cases of kidnapping in the area before the American crew arrived.

The following discussion ensued, obviously in jest.

“You weren’t kidnapped at all?” asked Kimmel.

“Not at all, not even once,” replied Hartnett.

“That’s good news. That’s a little bit nerve-wracking. Yeah, because especially in the
Philippines they probably don’t speak English and no one could read the ransom note or anything,” Kimmel said.

ABS-CBN North American Bureau Chief Ging Reyes reported that the incident happened even as Filipino-American community leaders are reconsidering a planned $500 million-dollar class suit against ABC network.

The class suit was first considered after the network aired an episode of “Desperate Housewives” that included some dialogue that Filipino doctors and medical schools found offensive.

However, some Fil-Ams are reportedly having second thoughts about the suit, believing that defamation laws in the United States favor TV networks and other media.

According to Filipino lawyer Ted Laguatan who is in-charge of the proposed class suit, Kimmel’s remarks should not be taken too seriously. Still, Laguatan said he would still bring it up with the network’s lawyers.

There were some angry responses posted by Filipinos on the YouTube forum that features the Kimmel-Hartnett clip, a few of them in grammatically incorrect English.

Still, the Filipino-Americans interviewed by Reyes agreed that Kimmel’s remarks don’t deserve the same outrage as the “Desperate Housewives” incident.

Source: ABS-CBN News

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