Richard Dreyfuss sparks outrage, Massachusetts Theater apologizes for ‘offensive and distressing’ remarks during ‘Jaws’ screening

In recent years, “Jaws” star Richard Dreyfuss has been criticized for speaking out on topics such as the Academy Awards’ diversity requirements and the use of blackface.

At a retrospective screening of “Jaws” in Beverly, Mass., on Saturday night, he appeared to take his incendiary remarks even further by rambling about topics that reportedly included trans people, Barbra Streisand and women in general.

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The Cabot sent an email to ticket buyers, according to New Bedford, Mass. radio station WBSM, and apologized for the comments he called “offensive and distressing.” According to WBSM, which obtained a customer’s email, it said:

“Dear Cabot patrons,

I am writing to address an important topic regarding last night’s event with Richard Dreyfuss at the Cabot.

We deeply regret that Mr. Dreyfuss’ comments during the event were not consistent with the values ​​of inclusiveness and respect that we uphold at Cabot. We understand that his remarks were distressing and offensive to many members of our community, and we sincerely apologize.

At Cabot, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our community. The opinions expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect our beliefs and we do not endorse them in any way.

We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and any discomfort it caused.

We are taking immediate action to ensure that such an incident does not happen again. This includes more rigorous screening of our event attendees and more proactive communications strategies to keep our audiences informed.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of Le Cabot.

We value your feedback and are committed to learning from this experience to better serve our community.

In a video posted by a participant on YouTube, Dreyfuss takes the stage to applaud while a Taylor Swift song is played, wearing a dress over her clothes, which stagehands then remove before taking her seat.

Facebook commenters expressed anger at his comments, calling them “vile, dehumanizing and hateful things directed at trans youth, LGBTQ+ people, women and survivors of sexual violence.”

“A young family with a 10-year-old daughter had to leave,” said another speaker. Dozens of customers are said to have left the premises.

After the screening, another video was posted on YouTube. shows him talking about a book he published in 2022. “Why don’t you tell us about your new book?” said the moderator. “It’s called ‘A thought scares me,’” Dreyfuss responds. “And it’s about how 50 years ago, without telling anyone, they took civics out of the school curriculum. Which means we don’t know who we are. His remarks were met with applause from fellow moviegoers.

Dreyfuss could not immediately be reached for comment over the holiday weekend. Representatives for Cabot did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

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