Showbiz
Jay Leno sued over Sikh Golden Temple 'Tonight Show' joke
Published Wednesday, Jan 25 2012, 16:16 GMT | By Justin Harp | 1 comment
Jay Leno is being sued over including an image of the Sikh holy site the Golden Temple of Amritsar in a Tonight Show skit.
Last week on The Tonight Show, Leno showed a picture of the Golden Temple and quipped that it was actually the summer home of wealthy Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
American Sikhs launched an online protest calling for Leno to apologise and an Indian overseas minister branded the gag "quite unfortunate and quite objectionable".
The Tonight Show is now being sued by Dr Randeep Dhillon, who claims that the joke was "published with oppression, fraud and malice".
The lawsuit accuses Leno of bringing shame to Dhillon by suggesting that the holy site was owned by a non-Sikh.
Dhillon is reportedly seeking general and punitive damages, according to court documents obtained by ET Online.
Leno has been defended by US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland, who said that the host's comments are "constitutionally protected in the United States under free speech and, frankly, they appeared to be satirical in nature".
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno airs weeknights at 11.35/10.35c on NBC.
> Michelle Obama to appear on Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Last week on The Tonight Show, Leno showed a picture of the Golden Temple and quipped that it was actually the summer home of wealthy Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
American Sikhs launched an online protest calling for Leno to apologise and an Indian overseas minister branded the gag "quite unfortunate and quite objectionable".
The Tonight Show is now being sued by Dr Randeep Dhillon, who claims that the joke was "published with oppression, fraud and malice".
The lawsuit accuses Leno of bringing shame to Dhillon by suggesting that the holy site was owned by a non-Sikh.
Dhillon is reportedly seeking general and punitive damages, according to court documents obtained by ET Online.
Leno has been defended by US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland, who said that the host's comments are "constitutionally protected in the United States under free speech and, frankly, they appeared to be satirical in nature".
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno airs weeknights at 11.35/10.35c on NBC.
> Michelle Obama to appear on Tonight Show with Jay Leno
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