First of all: LOOK AT HIS FEET. Brett Ratner has tiny, delicate little feet, right? Yikes. That does not bode well. Anyway, you know how Brett Ratner made some rather disgusting comments about Olivia Munn? He said stuff like, “She wasn’t Asian back then… I banged her a few times … but I forgot her.” And, “She made up all these stories about me eating shrimp and masturbating in my trailer. And my shortcomings. She talked about my shortcomings. I get it. She’s bitter.” Then Brett tried to take it back, apologizing, calling Olivia a “friend” and saying, “She’s actually talented. The problem is I made her look like she’s a whore.”

Well, good news. Brett has gotten a pass for all of that. It seems like Hollywood in general doesn’t care if a Hollywood director disrespects and says nasty things about a young actress (probably because that actress said nasty things about the director too). They only care when the director says something like, “Rehearsal is for f-gs.” THAT comment will get you in hot water. That’s what Brett said last week, and he tried to apologize for it, but now he’s had to resign from producing the next Oscar telecast.

Director Brett Ratner submitted his resignation as a producer of the 84th Annual Academy Awards Tuesday after coming under fire for making a gay slur.

“He did the right thing for the academy and for himself,” Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak said Tuesday afternoon. “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.”

In a Q&A session last weekend after a screening of his new film, “Tower Heist,” Ratner said, “rehearsal is for fags.” He then went on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM show and talked about masturbation, cunnilingus, pubic hair, the size of his testicles, his sexual encounter with Lindsay Lohan. Ratner apologized Monday and Sherak seemed to accept his apology, but the drumbeat of criticism continued Tuesday, culminating in Ratner’s resignation. It was not immediately clear whether Ratner’s handpicked host, Eddie Murphy, would also leave the show, scheduled for late February. Ratner and Murphy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ratner’s resignation letter read:

An Open Letter to the Entertainment Industry from Brett Ratner
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 it pains 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 comes out 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

[From The Los Angeles Times]

Well, he fell on his sword with grace at least. I think he made the right decision for his longterm career – he totally could have bullied his way past the critics and fought and won his way to producing the Oscar telecast, but he would have been the focus rather than the actual awards, and the controversy would probably have gotten dragged out for months. It’s smart that he knew that his best option was to step aside, and now people will say, “Did he really have to step aside? Didn’t we hire him to bring in a younger audience? Couldn’t this have been a teachable moment?” Which is a better place to be in if you’re Brett Ratner.

Photos courtesy of Fame.