Excerpt:
Recently, comedian Billy Crystal presented a tribute to the late Robin Williams at the 2014 Primetime Emmy Awards. During the tribute, Crystal said:
It is very hard to talk about him in the past because he was so present in all of our lives…..For almost 40 years he was the brightest star in the comedy galaxy…. . He made us laugh. Hard. Every time you saw him – on television, movies, nightclubs, arenas, hospitals, homeless shelters for our troops overseas. And even in a dying girl's living room for her last wish, he made us laugh. Big time.
After Crystal's message, a montage of some of Williams' performances was played. The tribute ignited a firestorm on social media due to the inclusion of a clip of a Williams sketch involving the hijab in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the clip, Williams borrows a scarf from an audience members, wears it covering his head mimicking a hijab and says, "I would like to welcome you to Iran. Help me!"