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Los Angeles, CA — Jerry Lewis may have raised some $63 million at his telethon last night, but he also managed to raise several eyebrows when words that sounded like "the illiterate faggot" were mumbled by the legendary comedian during the show. 

ABC News first broke the story and the subject of Lewis' insult is still unknown. Originally, news agencies were reporting that Lewis had said "the illiterate fatty", though the former insult seems generally thought to be the right interpretation. 

In a video clip of the slur, which was posted to the internet by an unnamed source, Lewis appears to make the comment just after dodging a camera man as he walks across the stage. Lewis must not have realized his microphone was live. Upon hearing the echo, he then mumbled, "No."

Calls to Lewis' rep were unreturned by the Associated Press, but the blunder comes just days after Lewis was quoted as saying long rumored gay TV producer Merv Griffin "deserved to die". Lewis made the comment in response to revelations Griffin did not seek medical treatment for his cancer. 

Lewis' use of the anti-gay slur comes on the heels of Grey's Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington calling his co-star T.R. Knight a faggot on the set of their hit program. Washington used the word again in a televised interview following the Golden Globes and was subsequently fired from the show. 

This isn't the first time Lewis has caused a stir with his words. Back in 2001, during an interview with CBS News, the 81-year-old comedian responded to critics who called his humor 'patronizing' by saying: "You don't want to be pitied for being a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house."

Written By Ross von Metzke
Article provided in partnership with GayWebMonkey.com.

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