Andrea Fay Friedman: Family Guy vs. Sarah Palin Down’s Syndrome Controversy (VIDEOS)
Andrea Fay Friedman, who suffers from Down’s syndrome and who played the role of or rather gave voice to “Ellen” on Family Guy’s Valentine’s Day episode, responds to the critics made by former Alaska Governor and former VP candidate Sarah Palin. According to Sarah, Family Guy was mocking special needs children and her son Trig, who suffers from Down’s syndrome.
In the episode, Ellen has Down syndrome and she is on a date when she is asked about what her parents do and she answers, “My dad’s an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska” (watch video below). Sarah claimed this was like a “kick in the gut.” The real joke is about how being the former governor of Alaska is actually a job for Sarah Palin.
This is not an attack to Sarah’s family. “Ellen” is not mocked in the show for having Down’s syndrome. On the contrary, “Ellen” plays a smart girl and that joke was directed towards Sarah’s new job. Sarah Palin needs a sense of humor. Andrea Fay released the following statement:
My name is Andrea Fay Friedman. I was born with Down syndrome. I played the role of Ellen on the “Extra Large Medium” episode of Family Guy that was broadcast on Valentine’s day. Although they gave me red hair on the show, I am really a blonde. I also wore a red wig for my role in ” Smudge” but I was a blonde in “Life Goes On”. I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line “I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska” was very funny. I think the word is “sarcasm”.
In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes.
Andrea is a true inspiration! Andre has Down’s Syndrome but she lives a pretty normal life, she is bright and has a fantastic sense of humor. Down’s Syndrome is no longer a synonym of “retarded” as Sarah mentioned on “The O’Reilley Factor” (watch video below).
Family Guy vs. Sarah Palin Down Syndrome Controversy Videos
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When Palin speaks all I hear is HEE HAW HEE HAW….
On the campaign trail, Sarah Palin has made it very clear that she considers Trig disabled; a child with limited abilities; a special needs child–and any time anyone uses the word “retarded” she brings up her infant son. She tells voters that she will do every thing in her power to insure that all of the special needs children get maximum Governmnet benefits. She uses Trig (and also her daughter, Bristol, “the teenage unwed mother” as political props and as a way to get her name in the news. She brags about all her speaking engagements and how she can get as much as a million dollars in one month. It doesn’t take much brains for her fellow Americans to see that all this travel away from home my give her celebrity status, get her treated like a rock star; lines her bank account–but what about her children left at home. Locals say that Trig doesn’t even recognize his own mother–she spends so little time with him. Sarah is a quitter–she quit the job as Alaska’s Governor and she quit being a Mother to an entire family. She can give Bristol a $60,000 Cadillac Escalade at age 19–but Motherhood is not a role that she desires.
if andrea wants to make fun of her disease then more power to her.. but she shouldn’t force someone else who is sensitive to the disease to be involved against their will… being a mother and a sister to someone with down’s syndrome the palins would be defensive of their family member. shame in andrea for being involved in such a mean thing.. and shame on the people who used her innocence to suck her in…if you don’t have anything nice to say.. don’t say anything at all…
Yes Lynne, don’t say anything unless it’s nice and happy. That ought to sort out that pesky ‘freedom of speech’ nonsense, eh?