LOS ANGELES (August 13, 2009) – The Parents Television Council™ released a list of companies that sponsored one of the most vile specials ever to air on basic cable television: Comedy Central’s “Roast of Joan Rivers,” which aired on Sunday, August 9.

“Can the sexual molestation of a child be funny? Comedy Central thinks so. And so, apparently, do a couple dozen of America’s largest corporations that chose to sponsor the ‘Roast of Joan Rivers,’” said PTC President Tim Winter.

“We anticipated that this ‘Roast’ would be explicit, but it was far more so than we anticipated, given that there were jokes about molesting children, pervasive sexually explicit dialogue, and even Joan Rivers cursing at and giving the middle finger to real child actors who appeared in the special.

“When the PTC issued an advisory about this program before it aired, a Comedy Central spokeswoman said that the roast was ‘designed to appeal to the Comedy Central audience, not the PTC audience.’ Yet Comedy Central’s parent company, Viacom, is quite content to force PTC members – and indeed tens of millions of cable subscribers across America – to pay a monthly fee for Comedy Central as part of a product bundle of its cable networks.

“Given that this was not a live program, advertisers who sponsored this special have no excuse and the public should express their concern to these companies. And if Comedy Central chooses to rebroadcast the program over the coming weeks, the PTC will monitor each airing and publish the sponsors of every broadcast.”

The following is a sample of the content found in the “Roast of Joan Rivers”:

• Joan Rivers comes out on stage holding hands with six little kids of different nationalities and says that Brad and Angelina are having a yard sale. She pulls at one little girl and says: “This one speaks English, say something!” The girl doesn't speak but then Joan says: “That's [bleeped ‘f***ing’] enough.” She shoves at the line of kids and says: “All right, kids, go make jewelry!” Behind the kids' backs, she flips her middle finger and says: “I hate children.”

• Gilbert Gottfried: “Anyone who has listened to the Howard Stern show has heard Robin talk about being molested by her father. She won't shut up about it. She's very proud of it. But what Robin Quivers conveniently leaves out of her delightful anecdote is that even as a kid she was so ugly that her father would close his eyes and fantasize about her sister... who was no looker herself I might add... and when he was done pillaging that homely daughter he used to whisper ‘don't tell anyone,’ because he was embarrassed. Oh the shame that that poor man must have felt having to hide the fact that his molestation standards were so low.”

• JEFF ROSS: “Nip-tuck. What the (bleeped f***)? This isn't a roast this is an autopsy. ... Have you seen you new YouTube video? ‘Forget Matt Damon, I (bleeped f***ed) Charlie Chaplin.’ ... But all kidding aside Joan, I think you're incredibly sexy. I would (bleeped f***) you like there's no tomorrow. Because for you that's a distinct possibility. ... [talking about Kathy Griffith] Wow, look at that. When did Howdy Doody (bleeped f***) Pippi Longstocking? Holy s***. Kathy Griffin, I wouldn't (bleeped f***) you with Chastity Bono's new dick. ... [referring to Carl Reiner] Actually, tonight I should call you van because you're sitting in between a dick and dyke. ... You're amazing Joan. Forty years of telling it like it is. You got the biggest balls in the business and Joan her whole life all she wanted to just be considered one of the guys. And good new is, your doctor says you're only three surgeries away.”

The following products or companies were advertised on “Roast of Joan Rivers”: