…Jesse and Al have been hit with a lawsuit claiming that their remarks about the movie “Barbershop” drove customers away. And get this — it’s not from the moviemakers — it’s from an association of barbershops and beauty salons who say the remarks negatively impacted their business!
The suit was filed Monday by the National Association of Cosmetologists. It accuses Jackson and Sharpton of intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and negligence stemming from their demand for apologies from MGM, which produced the comedy.
The activists had called for scenes deriding Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to be removed from the film starring Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer. MGM refused to cut the scenes.
The association, which claims to represent 50,000 barbers and beauticians, said Jackson and Sharpton misrepresented themselves as spokesmen for the group.
James Stern, chief executive of the group, said Sharpton’s threat to boycott the film and other remarks created a negative public sentiment about the profession, resulting in a loss of business.
Can you say “restraint of trade”? I knew you could.
Turnabout is fair play, boys. No boo-hooing for the cameras, please.
And now, pardon me while I go laugh hysterically…