Late in the year of
1999, in which
Tom Green was still riding his fame and success as a result of his mastery of the
guerilla comedy format, a wicked rumor began on the internet that put a damper on the public image of everybody's favorite
Canadian psycho.
The rumor was that Tom Green dressed up as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and had his camera crew tape his antics at a boy's Bar Mitzvah. While the media didn't latch on to this rumor, it didn't mean it didn't spread. Message boards, chat rooms and word of mouth were the poison for this rumor. And, sadly, it was widely believed to be true, and was believed to be the reason that his two year run on MTV ended in late 1999.
In early 2000, Tom posted the following statement on his website, www.tomgreen.com:
I don't have much time to talk today, but I will tell you this. That hitler rumour is getting insane. Derek and I went out for lunch on the weekend in Burbank and about ten kids on the street asked me about it. Part of my keeps saying that it's hilarious how many people are hearing this thing . . . but it kind of sucks because it's not something that we did on the show . . . or would even ever considered shooting. I guess I already explained this to everybody in that last letter that I wrote, but I would like to make it clear again . . . we don't do racist jokes on the show. I don't really think that racist jokes are that funny . . . Regardless this rumour is getting huge, and part of me can't help but enjoy how ridiculous the whole thing is . . . I wish it was about something funny like me having a gerbil removed from my ass or something. Then we could enjoy watching the myth grow and there would be nothing to be embarrassed about.
And while Tom Green's career is practically buried now regardless, he could have done without the slander he received from the rumor. It also goes to show you that sometimes, the American public will believe any stupid rumor they hear on the internet.
While Tom's days of television stardom, ad deals, cameoing in big films, having the #1 song on TRL and seeing Drew Barrymore naked every night are over, he has proved that he will never stop doing what he loves to do. Even after tanked films, a well documented divorce, cancelled shows and getting his ass handed to him on that Celebrity Poker Showdown show, Tom still continues at what he loves to do. Entertaining and amusing the masses in that unique, original and all-out bizarre way of his.
Sure, The New Tom Green Show experiment didn't work out, and Freddy Got Fingered was one of the most widely critically panned films of all time, he continues to work. He has a new film due out September 2004 titled "Bob The Butler", directed by longtime Absolutely Fabulous director Bob Spiers and co-starring Brooke Shields.
Myself? I’m a Tom Green fan still. I respected his ability to laugh off a rumor that would have had other celebrity types calling their agents a thousand times and shaking in their boots, and I respect his persistence in the face of declining fame.
More power to you Tom.