“He’s a porn star, for lack of a better term,” Robb Hartlen, Fredericton comedy festival chairman, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Thursday. “A lot of people get a little uneasy and they don’t want to be part of that.”
Sponsors apparently became uncomfortable and began to back out after learning that the adult legend would be one of the 30 international comedians to appear at the festival.
After considering their options, festival organizers decided to cancel the show rather than provide poor quality entertainment on a very small budget.
Organizers also said that poor planning added to the problems influenced the decision to cancel the show and vowed that planning for next year’s event would start in January.
“We have to approach our sponsors differently,” said Hartlen. “We have to let them know the whole gamut of the show.”
“And maybe just approach some sponsors for the dirty shows,” he added.
