Open Ended Question: Satire and Celebrities
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Hello Ladies,

 

When does satire/humor involving celebrities cross the line when appearing in a humorous piece? One writer told me that jokes are protected speech. One publisher said that they were afraid of being sued.

 

Your thoughts?

 

Thanks!

 

Sabrina

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Replies
  • I wrote a satirical novel based on a well-known personality. My understanding is famous people cannot sue you b/c they are part of the public domain. Unless you say something libelous or untrue they are "fair game." It's the price people pay for fame. I'm writing a piece now for submission to an anthology about someone who lived next door to me in the dorm when we were teenagers. It's revealing but not harmful. Most celebrities or "the famous" expect to be the center of attention.

    I say, "Write away!"

    Marcia

  • Sabrina- I, too, wonder whether satire involving a celebriy is protected speech or libel. When I was at Yale, I knew a person who became very famous. The world would LOVE to know what he was like as a young student before he overtook the world with his brilliance, his creativity, and his innovations. He appears very staid, but we used to hitchhike together, and he had a very zany side. There may be things that a famous person would not want the world to know, I suppose. How about after they die? Are the rules the same, I wonder?