Robin, Whoopi & Billy: Comics Aid Katrina Victims

NEW ORLEANS (June 1, 2006) — Comic Relief, founded 20 years ago to help the homeless, is returning after an eight-year hiatus to help children and animals recover from Hurricane Katrina, founder and president Bob Zmuda said Wednesday.

He made the announcement during an audience question-and-answer session with NBC news anchor Brian Williams, who had said during a luncheon conference that some viewers want him to stop reporting on the hurricane and its aftermath.

“I want you to know that Comic Relief has listened. Robin Williams and Whoopie Goldberg and Billy Crystal have listened,” Zmuda said. Williams, Goldberg and Crystal have been hosts for all eight Comic Relief performances since 1986.

He said the live performance Nov. 18 will be broadcast simultaneously on HBO, TBS and AOL. In an interview afterward, he said the eight previous performances raised a total of $50 million to fight homelessness. He was in New Orleans to look at flooded schools, a medical clinic and other possible recipients.

At the end of his speech at the conference, called “Rebirth: People Places & Culture in New Orleans,” Williams said that after telling viewers his broadcasts Wednesday and Thursday nights would be from New Orleans, he received two e-mails saying, “Well, I’m not watching for the next two nights.”

“We get a lot of that. A whole lot,” he said.

“Americans all have a stake in this,” he continued. “Too much of the culture we enjoy in our country is thanks to this city and this whole area.”

Copyright © 2024 by Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More