Q. Bette Midler said in a recent interview that she regretted making Karen Carpenter anorexia jokes earlier in her career. Is there anyone you’ve joked about that in hindsight you wish you hadn’t?
A. Absolutely not. Humor is the most wonderful thing we have. Bette is wrong – what she said is ridiculous. Everyone is fair game. The only thing I do not joke about is AIDS, because the public isn’t ready to laugh at that. Anything about violence – like child abuse – I
won’t touch.
