Fred Willard jokes about his lewd conduct arrest
Funny guy Fred Willard is finally responding to his arrest for committing a lewd act while alone at an adult movie theater on Wednesday ... with a joke! The actor, whose extensive resume includes "Best in Show" and other Christopher Guest movies, "Anchorman," and even a voiceover in Disney's "WALL-E," took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the incident. "Wait til u hear my version; much more PG & my review, lousy film, but theater would make a terrific racquetball court. Full story 2 follow," he tweeted. What's known so far is that Willard was arrested after police conducted a routine investigation of L.A.'s Tiki Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard. On Thursday, Willard's lawyer issued a statement defending him. "Our belief is that Fred did nothing in any violation of any law," said Paul Takakijan. "We will be working vigorously to clear his name in this matter." Are you still a fan of Willard? More celebrity features on Yahoo!:
Not everyone was so amused by the arrest. Just one day afterward, PBS fired Willard as host and narrator of its show "Market Warriors," which is a spin-off of its popular program "Antiques Roadshow." PBS President Paula Kerger said that the network didn't want Willard to become a "distraction." However, as Willard noted also via Twitter, he has at least one other gig at the moment. He's still the host of ABC's improv comedy "Trust Us With Your Life." "I was not fired from TUWYL, so B sure 2 watch," he noted.
And more good news: The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office determined Friday that his case is eligible for a diversion program. So he won't do jail time or be formally charged with a crime as long as he completes some required courses in the $380 program, which may include the subject of decision-making or sex crimes. The not-so-good news, according to the L.A. Times, is that Willard was arrested on lewd conduct charges back in 1990, although the L.A. prosecutor wouldn't reveal more details.
Whatever happens, at least the Twitterverse seems to be on Willard's side. The filmmaker Albert Brooks tweeted, "I love Fred Willard. He's a great guy. For his birthday I'm getting him a den and a computer." And Tim Long, a longtime writer for "The Simpsons," added that, "Fred Willard has been so funny for so long, he should be able to do whatever he wants — with or without pants."
