'A Jew with two horns': Comedian Amy Schumer under fire for 'tasteless' Jewish joke tweet

  • Comedian tweeted a picture of herself with a clarinet and saxophone player
  • She wrote 'A Jew with horns' before she corrected it to 'A Jew with 2 horns'
  • Caption refers to a racist misconception about people of Jewish descent
  • Joke had backlash on Twitter with some calling it 'tasteless and unfunny'
  • See more Amy Schumer updates as she is slammed for a 'tasteless' tweet

By Hannah Parry For Dailymail.com

Published: 18:42 EST, 2 March 2016 | Updated: 08:20 EST, 3 March 2016

Comedian Amy Schumer is facing backlash over a 'tasteless' Jewish joke.

Known for her brash, no holds-barred comedy, Schumer's latest tweet has left her facing accusations of racism.

The 34-year-old Trainwreck star had posted a picture of herself standing in between two tall musicians, one a clarinet player and the other a saxophonist, on Twitter.

It was captioned 'A Jew with horns.' Shortly afterwards she tweeted again to correct herself, saying: 'My bad. I meant to say 'A Jew with 2 horns'.

The 34-year-old Trainwreck star had posted a picture of herself standing in between two tall musicians, one a clarinet player and the other a saxophonist, on Twitter. It was captioned 'A Jew with horns'

The 34-year-old Trainwreck star had posted a picture of herself standing in between two tall musicians, one a clarinet player and the other a saxophonist, on Twitter. It was captioned 'A Jew with horns'

Shortly afterwards she tweeted again to correct herself, saying: 'My bad. I meant to say 'A Jew with 2 horns' 

Shortly afterwards she tweeted again to correct herself, saying: 'My bad. I meant to say 'A Jew with 2 horns' 

The caption refers to a racist stereotype about Jewish people.

On Twitter, the joke received a mixed reception with some branding it 'tasteless and unfunny.'

Cal Rothgib warned that some would be 'highly offended' by the gag while Froot Salid was outraged by the comedian's attempt at humor.

'This is a disgusting attempt at humor,' he wrote.

'It's like making a slavery joke. Tasteless and unfunny.'

This is not the first time Schumer, who was brought up Jewish, has come under fire over her offensive stand-up material.

This is not the first time Schumer has come under fire over her offensive stand-up material

This is not the first time Schumer has come under fire over her offensive stand-up material

She was accused of racism following last year's MTV Movie Awards where she joked that Latina women were 'crazy.'

Referring to the thriller Gone Girl, she described the film as 'the story of what one crazed white woman, or all Latinas do ,if you cheat on them.'

Responding to criticism online, she wrote on Twitter that she was a 'dirty half-Jew' and warned she would joke about subjects 'you aren't comfortable with.' 

'And that's OK. Stick with me and trust I am joking,' she added.

The comedian was born to a Jewish father and Christian mother. 

Latino men have also received the Schumer treatment when she joked that she used to date Hispanic guys, 'but now I prefer consensual (sex).'

Another joke in her routines includes 'Nothing works 100 percent of the time, except Mexicans.'

The comedian has previously defended her offensive jokes, telling the Washington Post she had a 'blind spot for racism' and would play up to an idiot persona by saying 'the dumbest things possible.'

On Twitter, the joke received a mixed reception with some branding it 'tasteless and unfunny'

On Twitter, the joke received a mixed reception with some branding it 'tasteless and unfunny'

She was also accused of being insensitive in 2011 at a comedy roast soon after the death of Jackass star Ryan Dunn where she appeared to mock his passing to his friend Steve-O.

Schumer told Steve-O: 'I'm sorry for the loss of your friend Ryan Dunn.I know you were thinking, 'It could have been me,' and I know we were all thinking 'Why wasn't it?''

The joke was met with boos from the audience.

Her latest gag, labeling herself a Jew with two horns, referred to medieval belief that Jewish people had literal 'horns.'

The belief can be traced back to a misinterpretation the horns come from the Vulgate version of a passage in the book of Exodus.

It refers to Moses returning from communing with God with 'qaran' on his head. 

Interpreters have argued the Hebrew word does not mean horns in this context but rays of light similar to a halo. The myth became more popular after Michelangelo carved his famous sculpture of Moses with horns from the misinterpreted text.

Anti-Semites used the horn story to fuel racist rumors and fears that Jewish people were linked to the devil - who is often depicted with goat-like horns.

 

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