Bernie Mac Joke Bombs at Obama Event

"I realize that having a presidential candidate that has reached this level of the game is new to us as well as historic and amazing in a country that has been overall closed minded at such an idea! Really, I understand the excitement and I too feel it and support Mr.Obama but people, my people, at some point we have to realize that there is a time and a place for everything and Bernie Mack at a political campaign where a Jerry Seinfeld may have been a more acceptable source of entertainment was not a good look for this event!"---BLACKTHELION

In CHICAGO (July 12) - Comedian Bernie Mac endured some heckling and a campaign rebuke during a surprise appearance Friday night at a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

AP

Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Chicago, the 50-year-old star of "The Bernie Mac Show" joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language.

"My little nephew came to me and he said, 'Uncle, what's the difference between a hypothetical question and a realistic question?'" Mac said. "I said, I don't know, but I said, 'Go upstairs and ask your mother if she'd make love to the mailman for $50,000.'"

As the joke continued, the punchline evoked an angry response from at least one person in the audience, who said it was offensive to women.

"It's not funny. Let's get Barack on," a man shouted from the crowd, which paid $2,300 each to support the Illinois senator.

About 15 minutes later, Obama tried to smooth things over with a joke of his own.

"We can't afford to be divided by race. We can't afford to be divided by region or by class and we can't afford to be divided by gender, which by the way, that means, Bernie, you've got to clean up your act next time," Obama said. "This is a family affair. By the way, I'm just messing with you, man."