Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

Forget the Ni Hao Ma's, It's John Liu Vs. Rosie O'Donnell

By

Jen Chung

Published Dec 11, 2006

Modified Mar 7, 2008

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

By

Jen Chung

Published Dec 11, 2006

Modified Mar 7, 2008

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Where the hell is Lisa Ling when Barbara Walters needs her? Last week, Rosie O'Donnell commented about the whole Danny DeVito drunk as a skunk on The View by imagining what people in China were hearing:

"The fact is that it's news all over the world. You can imagine in China, it's like, ching chong ching chong ching chong Danny DeVito ching ching chong chong ching drunk The View chong."

Of course, Rosie's riff has upset City Councilman John Liu, who sent a letter to Barbara Walters to complain. From Room 8, here's the letter:

Asian Americans across the country are very offended by remarks made by Rosie O'Donnell this past week on your program "The View." Her caricature of the Chinese language hits a raw nerve in our community. For your information, a clip of the relevant December 7, 2006 program
is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuTspbPmV_g.

As a well-traveled and experienced journalist who has gained respect from many people around the world, you better than anyone should know that these types of derogatory remarks have consequences beyond the stupidity of the person who made them. Yet, you more than anyone
stands to profit handsomely from the pumped-up ratings generated by this type of controversy.

I do not believe the production and broadcast of these remarks reflects the high standards of excellence held by you or the American Broadcasting Company. But, what will you do to hold yourself and those who host the program accountable for such offensive remarks? I and the many Asian Americans offended by "The View" look forward to your response.

Hmm, ABC does deserve credit for green-lighting the short-lived Margaret Cho sitcom All-American Girl, which is known as being the first sitcom with an all-Asian cast... but it sucked. (Maybe ABC will line up Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim from Lost - they're Korean, but at least they're Asian! - for some good will.) Liu told Fox News, "It really hits a raw nerve for many people in the community — many like myself, who grew up with these kinds of taunts. We all know that it never ends at the taunts." It's so true, but at least Rosie didn't squint or use her fingers to make her eyes slanted.

Gawker has the clip, to which they thoughtfully added a gong (a sound effect that confused the Daily News, which thought the gong was added by The View producers).

Tagged

abc

alcohol

american girl

As

asian americans

barbara walters

china

chinese

city

City Councilman

City Councilman John Liu

Councilman John Liu

daily news

danny devito

entertainment

fox

fox news

gawker

john liu

Lisa Ling

lost

Margaret Cho

media

news

News: NYC

people

Rosie O

Rosie O'Donnell

The Program

the view

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE arts-entertainment

Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.

By

Sonia Rao

Published Oct 16, 2026

Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

By

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

Arts & Entertainment

Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

By

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years

By

Hannah Frishberg

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

By

Sonia Rao

The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?

By

Lindsay Lee Wallace

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .