Conan O'Brien Apologizes to Levi Johnston for Twitter Skit
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com; Jesse Grant/WireImage.com
Levi Johnston got his apology -- plus another musical tribute -- from Conan O'Brien and William Shatner.
To soften hard feelings and avoid a potential legal mess, O'Brien made amends to Johnston on NBC's The Tonight Show Thursday -- acknowledging that the offensive Twitter quotes attributed to Johnston in a song performed by Shatner Wednesday were "counterfeit" and "written by a clever imposter."
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"The real Levi is very angry with us," O'Brien announced to his giggling audience.
Yesterday, reps for Johnston demanded a retraction after Shatner's skit linked homophobic remarks to the future Playgirl model and father of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's grandson.
"If they don't retract, we'll sue," his manager told TMZ Wednesday.
Hours later, O'Brien used his opening monologue to extend a personal apology to Johnston and his team "for misrepresenting him in any way."
Added the late-night comedian: "We wish him the best of luck as he trains for his upcoming naked photo shoot."
To sweeten the apology, Shatner re-emerged to give a jazzy spoken-word performance reading "some real verified quotes" from Johnston, O'Brien explained.
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"Guess what?" Shatner said softly. "I shot a big-ass bear."
The actor-musician even quoted Johnston's recent statement to Usmagazine.com: "I just get naked. It's what I do."
On Nov. 11, Johnston will be named Fleshbot Award's "Crossover Star" for "pop culture star turned sex star" by the sexually-themed blog Fleshbot.com
Tell Us What You Think
9what a punk. i love how he can trash everyone else but cries when he's made fun of. can we say crybaby?
Isn't this guy's 15 minutes of fame over yet? Who cares what he does? Get a job, support your kid and just go back to Alaska, if they still want him. Why does he deserve any publicity at all?
Free speech is 1 thing, DEFAMATION/SLANDER is another. Get your facts straight.
The First Amendment doesn't allow you to make slanderous or libelous statements, but I don't know if the statements on Conan's show would qualify.
conan's show is terrible now. i used to watch him before he got the tonight show, but then after he got it, he started making all of these insulting jokes about women. but he apologizes to this idiot levi? god forbid someone insults a man. but tell all the nasty jokes you want to demean women. conan is such a loser. i guess he's trying to compete with that pig letterman, telling the same sexist and misogynistic jokes letterman's been telling his entire career. conan you have lost a viewer.
So does this mean that Sarah Palin can sue Levi for his confessions about the Palin family to the press?
levi is hardup for attention ,and needs money , and is willing to sell his soul,
Who does Levi think he his? Why does Conan have to give an apology to him, but not the countless other "real" celebrities that he makes fun of. Conan should have called his bluff!!
so, let me get this straight, you can now sue someone when they are protected by the 1st amendment, you know, the one about freedom of speech?