A theatre in Massachusetts apologized for doing an event with actor Richard Dreyfuss on Saturday night. The nattering nabobs on social media are trying to cancel Dreyfuss so The Cabot Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts issued an apology. 

Dreyfuss dares to speak up about some issues with opinions that don't sit well with progressives. 

The theater held an event billed as "An Evening with Richard Dreyfuss + Jaws Screening." The idea was for Dreyfuss to talk to the audience about the classic movie, in anticipation of amusing stories or insightful anecdotes about filming the movie.

What happened was that Dreyfuss came on stage wearing a dress. He tore it off as he began to speak. Allegedly, he began to make sexist, homophobic, and transphobic remarks.

In what some people describe as a rant, the Oscar-winning actor went off the rails as he was speaking about Barbra Streisand. They were in a movie, Nuts, in 1987. He went into remarks about trans youth, gender-affirming treatment, and inclusivity rules for the Academy Awards. He's not a fan.

On Facebook one commenter claimed Dreyfuss said "vile, dehumanizing, abhorrent things about trans youth, LGBTQ+ people, women, and survivors of sexual violence."

One attendee and X.com user named Rogue Mama wrote, "Came here to see if Richard Dreyfuss had been canceled tonight after appearing at #TheCabot in Beverly." Another suggested an alternative title for the night's event: "An Evening of Misogyny and Homophobia With Richard Dreyfuss. Disappointing doesn't even begin to cover it."

One person wrote in the comment section of the venue's latest Facebook post, "We walked out of his interview tonight along with hundreds of others because of his racist homophobic misogynistic rant." Another person called Dreyfuss' comments "disgusting" and "offensive."

There are no quotes from Dreyfuss used in a report by The Hollywood Reporter, just reactions on Facebook. That is sloppy reporting by an outlet that reports on the entertainment business. 

Deadline did a little bit better in its reporting.

Social media accounts of the event suggest that the trouble began when Dreyfuss started talking about his Nuts producer Barbra Streisand, calling her a “genius” but that women, in the commenter’s account of the event, “are so passive that’s why the movie sucked.” From there Dreyfuss apparently made disparaging remarks about the MeToo Movement, then “started down the road of how you shouldn’t be listening to some 10-year-old who says they want to be a boy instead of a girl.”

So, he criticized women, and people who let young kids make life-altering decisions about body mutilation, is that what we are to take away from the conversation? 

One person on X said Dreyfuss called Streisand "brilliant but an idiot" and Steven Spielberg "a genius but an idiot."

This is a better explanation. pic.twitter.com/UZUQRKKUSt

— Mrs Pretty Damn Old Tappenzeer (@knockhead) May 27, 2024

The theater should have known who they were inviting to speak. It also should have spoken up for him instead of apologizing for inviting him. Dreyfuss has a history of enjoying being provocative in his remarks. The problem is that he offends the delicate progressives when he says something they don't agree with. 

The statement released by The Cabot was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

On Monday, the venue apologized to attendees for Dreyfuss' remarks, writing in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter: "We are aware of, and share serious concerns, following the recent event with Richard Dreyfuss prior to a screening of the film Jaws at The Cabot. The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organization. We deeply regret the distress that this has caused to many of our patrons."

We regret that an event that was meant to be a conversation to celebrate an iconic movie instead became a platform for political views. We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for the discomfort it caused to many patrons.

We are in active dialogue with our patrons about their experience and are committed to learning from this event how to better enact our mission of entertaining, educating and inspiring our community."

What a bunch of weenies. Why were the theater leaders shocked that Dreyfuss made political remarks? He doesn't shy away from that. It would have been fine to talk in political terms if they were the correct political terms. 

I think if there was better reporting on quotes from the event, about half of America would agree with Dreyfuss. He also speaks out about the lack of civics being taught in schools. He wrote a book in support of bringing the subject back to schools. He's right. Students are being denied an important part of their education. They are ignorant of how government works, American history, and the importance of informed citizens in society. Progressives prefer to indoctrinate students in their ideology. 

In 2008, he founded The Dreyfuss Initiative, a nonprofit that promotes teaching about American democracy in classrooms nationwide. Teachers are provided with videos and educational tools. 

Dreyfuss appeared at a similar event on Friday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was criticized by the audience there, too. He was described as sexist and mean. 

The actor has been speaking out against the push for diversity and inclusion in Hollywood, specifically the Academy Awards. It isn't new. A year ago, in May 2023, he talked about the subject on PBS.

"They make me vomit," he said on Firing Line. "No one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is. What are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people's feelings? You can't legislate that. You have to let life be life and I'm sorry, I don't think there is a minority or majority in the country that has to be catered to like that. … This is an art form. It's also a form of commerce and it makes money, but it's an art. And no one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is."

Dreyfuss is a classic liberal. He isn't a crazy far-left progressive. The left used to be concerned about the Constitution and freedom of speech. No more. Now the left demands groupthink and anyone who veers from the script must be punished.

“We’re so fragile that we can’t have our feelings hurt,” he said. “We don’t know how to stand up and bop the bully in the face.” Dreyfuss is right. If an audience member is offended to the point of anger, they should just walk out. It's not the end of the world. Walking out in a dress may have been unconventional but it was his way of drawing attention to the transgender activism that dominates society today. He's 76 years old. I don't think he cares about criticism on social media. He shouldn't.