John K accused of prior sexual misconduct

[Lock n' Stock]

So no real update on this vile creep? He seems to have gone into hiding like the coward he is. What a loser.

 

[Leviathan]

Can't say I'm surprised by the Jim Smith thing, especially now.

Actually, most of John's most loyal defenders have gone totally silent since the story broke out. Eddie Fitzgerald, Stephen Worth and Mike Fontanelli aren't going from forum to forum attacking anyone who dares to day a less-than-positive word about John K like they used to. It raises the tragically-pressing question: what did they know?

 

[Light Lucario]

Can't say I'm surprised by the Jim Smith thing, especially now.

Actually, most of John's most loyal defenders have gone totally silent since the story broke out. Eddie Fitzgerald, Stephen Worth and Mike Fontanelli aren't going from forum to forum attacking anyone who dares to day a less-than-positive word about John K like they used to. It raises the tragically-pressing question: what did they know?

I imagine it would also be really hard to defend someone like John after this story came out. Not only did he continue to harass at least one of his victims, but he also flat out admitted to being a pedophile in his threatening message to boot. They can't even use terrible victim blaming logic when he admitted that the accusations are completely true. The fact that it was already well known that he had a sixteen year old girlfriend in the 90's wouldn't help their case either.

 

[FlooterFlatter]

Byrd indicated on twitter that Fitzgerald, Worth, and Fontanelli were enablers, stating that "all of them were major enablers and weirdly involved with [John's] perversion".

 

[Toon4Thought]

Byrd indicated on twitter that Fitzgerald, Worth, and Fontanelli were enablers, stating that "all of them were major enablers and weirdly involved with [John's] perversion".

I don't know anything about two of those, but Eddie Fitzgerald never did seem quite right in the head to me. (He's the guy who wouldn't stop laughing at everything in the DVD commentaries)

 

[FlooterFlatter]

I've had my encounters with all three of them online. It can't be overstated how big of jerks and snobs Worth and Fontanelli are. I think Worth even posted on ToonZone many years ago, when TTTP was still active here.

I'm not surprised all three enabled him.

 

[TeridaxXD001]

My thoughts:

1. I've always had a feeling he was this kind of person, so I wasn't surprised. While I enjoy the original (Nickelodeon) Ren and Stimpy, I never liked the guy as a person.

2. Despite this, I can't fully condone the removal of his portrait, because that would be revionist history, which I'm against. I also hope the things he worked on (including his creations, like Ren and Stimpy) aren't totally disowned. The Ren & Stimpy Show was a big success for Nickelodeon and helped launch the Nicktoons franchise, so them ignoring it even more than they already do would make me sad.

3. I'm not defending the guy. He needs to pay for what he did. While I think the mass sexual harassment allegations coming out these days probably inspired some false accusers, Kricfalusi admitted the misconduct and blamed it on his victims. And the guy's not only a jerk, he's apparently certified mentally ill.

Oh, and I know he supposedly had a bad relationship with his father, but didn't his father voice Ren's father in the APC (which I have never watched and never will)?

This is my first post, and I'm sorry it had to be on such a controversial topic.

 

[Light Lucario]

My thoughts:

1. I've always had a feeling he was this kind of person, so I wasn't surprised. While I enjoy the original (Nickelodeon) Ren and Stimpy, I never liked the guy as a person.

2. Despite this, I can't fully condone the removal of his portrait, because that would be revionist history, which I'm against. I also hope the things he worked on (including his creations, like Ren and Stimpy) aren't totally disowned. The Ren & Stimpy Show was a big success for Nickelodeon and helped launch the Nicktoons franchise, so them ignoring it even more than they already do would make me sad.

I don't think that removing his portrait is the same thing as erasing his history from the network. It's more like they don't want to honor someone like John by keeping his portrait up. It's more like a good PR move than anything else. It's the same reason why they're probably going to distance themselves from Ren and Stimpy for awhile. They don't want their kids network to be associated with a pedophile and if the kept acting as if nothing had happened, that probably would cause them more problems. I don't know if they'll completely disown Ren and Stimpy, but I doubt that it will be airing on the Splat anytime soon.

3. I'm not defending the guy. He needs to pay for what he did. While I think the mass sexual harassment allegations coming out these days probably inspired some false accusers, Kricfalusi admitted the misconduct and blamed it on his victims. And the guy's not only a jerk, he's apparently certified mentally ill.

I'm not sure if there would be false accusers, even with the increased sexual harassment allegations coming out. It isn't impossible by any means, but considering how difficult it is for victims of sexual harassment and assault to get support and how many people usually dismiss their claims for various reasons, I don't think there are as many false accusers as people think there are.

 

[TeridaxXD001]

I don't think that removing his portrait is the same thing as erasing his history from the network. It's more like they don't want to honor someone like John by keeping his portrait up. It's more like a good PR move than anything else. It's the same reason why they're probably going to distance themselves from Ren and Stimpy for awhile. They don't want their kids network to be associated with a pedophile and if the kept acting as if nothing had happened, that probably would cause them more problems. I don't know if they'll completely disown Ren and Stimpy, but I doubt that it will be airing on the Splat anytime soon.

I think they've been disowning it to a certain extent since the APC. Even if the APC was popular and loved by many, it still would have soiled what was once a "kids" franchise.

I'm not sure if there would be false accusers, even with the increased sexual harassment allegations coming out. It isn't impossible by any means, but considering how difficult it is for victims of sexual harassment and assault to get support and how many people usually dismiss their claims for various reasons, I don't think there are as many false accusers as people think there are.

I didn't say there were a lot, just some. It's definitely a problem in the entertainment industry, and has been going on in Hollywood since at least the 30s, from what I know. Hopefully there'll be some change. Unlike Kricfalusi I used to admire Bill Cosby, but now I doubt I could watch any of his material that preaches old fashioned family values and take it seriously anymore.

 

[Light Lucario]

I think they've been disowning it to a certain extent since the APC. Even if the APC was popular and loved by many, it still would have soiled what was once a "kids" franchise.

Yeah, that probably made them want to avoid the series for awhile too. I just don't think that that they'll remove every trace of the series from their channel's history.

I didn't say there were a lot, just some. It's definitely a problem in the entertainment industry, and has been going on in Hollywood since at least the 30s, from what I know. Hopefully there'll be some change. Unlike Kricfalusi I used to admire Bill Cosby, but now I doubt I could watch any of his material that preaches old fashioned family values and take it seriously anymore.

I hope that there will be some change as well. I used to like watching Bill Cosby's sitcoms, but I doubt that I'd be able to enjoy them knowing what a terrible person he truly is.

 

[Peter Paltridge]

Oh, and I know he supposedly had a bad relationship with his father, but didn't his father voice Ren's father in the APC (which I have never watched and never will)?

They patched things up later in life. I've seen a picture of him and he really does look like George Liquor -- big blue eyes, buck teeth and all.

I've seen as much of APC as I can stand and it's amazing how the show's creator can misunderstand his own characters. Throughout the series Ren and Stimpy are in an abusive relationship, with Ren constantly insulting and hitting Stimpy (in a realistic, domestic violence kind of way, not like on the kids' version). Instead of being blissfully stupid and jolly -- which is what made him so funny -- Stimpy spends a lot of screentime crying. Why would John think any of this was funny?

There's an entire inside-jokey episode dedicated to John's mentor Ralph Bakshi where, confusingly, Ren and Stimpy are referred to by different names and it's never explained why. Bakshi supplies his own voice. Also Bakshi spends about nine minutes of the episode trying to take a big dump.

 

[TeridaxXD001]

Network censorship: not always bad. Nick probably did the right thing after all in regards to the show, though I've read that getting fired and the rights taken away caused Kricfalusi to spiral even further off the deep end. That's when it seems this stuff is reported to have started. It's funny: the article I read said "Nickelodeon has declined to comment" when A) he was never really a Nick employee and B) they were no longer working with him when it happened. Why should they comment?

Mostly unrelated, does anyone know anything about the "Green Monkeys" show he was reportedly developing with Disney in the late 90s? I stumbled across it during all this, and it sounds like an unlikely pairing.

 

[19MagiswordLane]

They patched things up later in life. I've seen a picture of him and he really does look like George Liquor -- big blue eyes, buck teeth and all.

I've seen as much of APC as I can stand and it's amazing how the show's creator can misunderstand his own characters. Throughout the series Ren and Stimpy are in an abusive relationship, with Ren constantly insulting and hitting Stimpy (in a realistic, domestic violence kind of way, not like on the kids' version). Instead of being blissfully stupid and jolly -- which is what made him so funny -- Stimpy spends a lot of screentime crying. Why would John think any of this was funny?

There's an entire inside-jokey episode dedicated to John's mentor Ralph Bakshi where, confusingly, Ren and Stimpy are referred to by different names and it's never explained why. Bakshi supplies his own voice. Also Bakshi spends about nine minutes of the episode trying to take a big dump.

According to John, Bakshi had the tendency to forget names, even after remembering two minutes ago. It's one of the many reasons why this episode fails: you have to be in the company of Ralph, or known the man for years to understand the gags. Now ask yourself that: why would John think THIS was a good idea for a plotline (somehow, Games' "Reverend Jack" is more coherent).

 

[Kitschensyngk]

I didn't say there were a lot, just some. It's definitely a problem in the entertainment industry, and has been going on in Hollywood since at least the 30s, from what I know. Hopefully there'll be some change. Unlike Kricfalusi I used to admire Bill Cosby, but now I doubt I could watch any of his material that preaches old fashioned family values and take it seriously anymore.

I don't have too many memories of The Cosby Show (outside of the Jim Henson tribute episode) but my sisters and I had cassette tapes of his stand-up comedy routines that we used to listen to on long car trips. I honestly don't feel that I could enjoy them today considering how far from grace he has fallen. Perhaps I could revisit them at some point in the future, but certainly not now.

It's always sad when something that made up a big chunk of your childhood gets tainted like this.

 

[AllenJ]

I've had my encounters with all three of them online. It can't be overstated how big of jerks and snobs Worth and Fontanelli are. I think Worth even posted on ToonZone many years ago, when TTTP was still active here.

He did post on TTTP back in the day; his username was "bigshot." He once made a thread plugging a web cartoon he worked on at Spumco ("Boo Boo and the Man," another Yogi Bear corruption) and when the cartoon wasn't well-received by the other board members, he threw a childish fit and quit the forum in a huff. See for yourself.

2. Despite this, I can't fully condone the removal of his portrait, because that would be revionist history, which I'm against. I also hope the things he worked on (including his creations, like Ren and Stimpy) aren't totally disowned. The Ren & Stimpy Show was a big success for Nickelodeon and helped launch the Nicktoons franchise, so them ignoring it even more than they already do would make me sad.

Thad Komorowski thinks they should put a portrait of Bob Camp in its place. That would actually be fitting, since Bob apparently came up with most of the things people actually liked about the show (including practically the entirety of "Stimpy's Invention").

I think they've been disowning it to a certain extent since the APC. Even if the APC was popular and loved by many, it still would have soiled what was once a "kids" franchise.

I'm still seeing R&S merchandise in stores, such as Spencer's and Hot Topic (including more adult items like shot glasses), so I wouldn't quite say they've disowned it just yet. Nickelodeon seems to be marketing their older shows to adults more so than kids lately, as part of the whole "90's nostalgia" bandwagon. They've even started a Facebook page devoted to "risque" moments from their older shows (and posted a clip of the censored "Let's play circus!" bit from Sven Hoek).

There's an entire inside-jokey episode dedicated to John's mentor Ralph Bakshi where, confusingly, Ren and Stimpy are referred to by different names and it's never explained why. Bakshi supplies his own voice. Also Bakshi spends about nine minutes of the episode trying to take a big dump.

On the R&S Lost Episodes DVD, John claims that everything in that episode was based on real-life experiences he had with Ralph during the 1970s and 80s. Based on this, am I to assume that John actually lifted Ralph's feces out of his toilet and drove it somewhere just so Ralph could get laid? (For those who haven't seen it, that is an actual scene from the cartoon.)

Mostly unrelated, does anyone know anything about the "Green Monkeys" show he was reportedly developing with Disney in the late 90s? I stumbled across it during all this, and it sounds like an unlikely pairing.

Huh. This is the first I've heard of John working for Disney. I know he tried to do a George Liquor show on Fox at one point that never materialized (he even plugged it in his infamous Howard Stern interview).

According to John, Bakshi had the tendency to forget names, even after remembering two minutes ago. It's one of the many reasons why this episode fails: you have to be in the company of Ralph, or known the man for years to understand the gags. Now ask yourself that: why would John think THIS was a good idea for a plotline (somehow, Games' "Reverend Jack" is more coherent).

Indeed. When that episode (Fire Dogs 2) first aired, I remember most people's reactions being things along the lines of "What does this have to do with Fire Dogs? Who is this Ralph Bakshi person supposed to be? Why am I supposed to laugh at him taking a dump for several minutes?" I'm reminded of that bit from Animaniacs where Wakko tells Scratchansniff a knock-knock joke about someone named Max, and Scratchansniff doesn't get it - because according to Wakko, the joke only makes sense if you already know who Max is. (And speaking of Animaniacs: Katie Rice, one of the women who outed John, has apparently landed a directing job on the upcoming Animaniacs Hulu reboot. Considering John's notorious hatred of the show, I find this incredibly fitting.)

 

[Fone Bone]

They patched things up later in life. I've seen a picture of him and he really does look like George Liquor -- big blue eyes, buck teeth and all.
.

Ha! Knew George Liquor was based on his father!

Thad Komorowski thinks they should put a portrait of Bob Camp in its place. That would actually be fitting, since Bob apparently came up with most of the things people actually liked about the show (including practically the entirety of "Stimpy's Invention").

I love this idea.

On the R&S Lost Episodes DVD, John claims that everything in that episode was based on real-life experiences he had with Ralph during the 1970s and 80s. Based on this, am I to assume that John actually lifted Ralph's feces out of his toilet and drove it somewhere just so Ralph could get laid? (For those who haven't seen it, that is an actual scene from the cartoon.)

Considering how subservient Kricfalusi seems to Bakshi in interviews, that idea seems credible.

Indeed. When that episode (Fire Dogs 2) first aired, I remember most people's reactions being things along the lines of "What does this have to do with Fire Dogs? Who is this Ralph Bakshi person supposed to be? Why am I supposed to laugh at him taking a dump for several minutes?" I'm reminded of that bit from Animaniacs where Wakko tells Scratchansniff a knock-knock joke about someone named Max, and Scratchansniff doesn't get it - because according to Wakko, the joke only makes sense if you already know who Max is. (And speaking of Animaniacs: Katie Rice, one of the women who outed John, has apparently landed a directing job on the upcoming Animaniacs Hulu reboot. Considering John's notorious hatred of the show, I find this incredibly fitting.)

Go Katie!

 

[Zorak Masaki]

If you think Fire Dogs 2 was bad, they made another APC episode with Ralph which was a live-action tribute to 50s sitcoms or something.

 

[FlooterFlatter]

If you think Fire Dogs 2 was bad, they made another APC episode with Ralph which was a live-action tribute to 50s sitcoms or something.

That actually aired together with "Fire Dogs 2". In a typical John K. fashion, he was late with the episode, with only half of it being completed, so they decided to split it into two-parts. The first part ran short, so they filled the rest of the slot with the original "Fire Dogs" short and the live-action Bakshi bits.

He did post on TTTP back in the day; his username was "bigshot." He once made a thread plugging a web cartoon he worked on at Spumco ("Boo Boo and the Man," another Yogi Bear corruption) and when the cartoon wasn't well-received by the other board members, he threw a childish fit and quit the forum in a huff. See for yourself.

Ha! Typical of him.

 

[TeridaxXD001]

Left: Michael Kricfalusi
Right: George Liquor

Anyway, let's get back to the issue at hand...

 

[19MagiswordLane]

Well this is disturbing in retrospect: