Last week in an interview with the BBC, comedian-turned-actress Amy Schumer was asked, “What’s the worst place you can ever imagine being for a weekend?” After a few seconds of contemplation, Schumer responded, “Reno, Nevada … because it’s a dump.”
In a matter of minutes after the video went viral, Schumer made enemies with a whole city.
Schumer has received serious backlash from proud Renoites following her interview. Twitter blew up with tweets from citizens who were quick to defend their “Biggest Little City.”
Some of the tweets read:
“Hey @amyschumer, referring to your BBC Interview, you can help make Reno, NV less of a ‘dump’ by not coming back here.”
“Why are we so mad that @amyschumer, a talentless broad who steals her jokes, hates Reno?”
“When Amy Schumer called Reno ‘a dump’ I think she was referring to her face :-)”
Amy Schumer, I always thought by your raunchy standup and your wild portrayal of your character in “Trainwreck” that you of all people would know how to have a good time. But obviously your comments lead me to believe you spent a little too much time at the Grand Sierra driving range and not enough time having fun. Clearly your fictitious characters are the only Amys that know how to have a good time.
I will give Schumer the benefit of the doubt. If she didn’t get out much, the drive from the airport to her hotel isn’t exactly paradise. In fact, it does look like a scene straight out of “Reno 911.” I’m sure out-of-town visitors expect Officer Dangle leading the Highway Patrol squad. And just like every other city in America, there are parts of Reno that are “dumpy” for a lack of better words. Our Fourth Street does look like a live screening of “The Walking Dead,” and Sun Valley trailer park boasts one of the highest concentrations of meth in the country.
But Schumer, you have to get out there, experience and see all of Reno before shitting all over it. Reno has incredible local restaurants like Brewer’s Cabinet and Campo. We have a bar scene that appeals to any night-life enthusiast from the fun dance crowd at Saint James to the classy aesthetic of Death and Taxes. Who could forget that one of the most beautiful places in the world, Lake Tahoe, is right in our backyard?
But most importantly, Reno has some of the most character in a city I have ever seen. We are a melting pot of culture, from Artown to Burning Man. Not to mention the University of Nevada, Reno campus is rich with history and boasts a beautiful, lush landscape.
People from Reno are proud of where they are from and rightfully so. We have countless initiatives to clean up lesser parts of Reno and our citizens are very environmentally conscious.
Amy Schumer tries to create this persona in her comedy that she is relatable. She comes off as a person of the common folk. But instead her comments lead you to believe she is just another pain-in-the-ass Hollywood elitist who only goes to bars that you need a password to get into. Now I’m led to think she is one of the worst kinds of people. The kind that carries teacup-sized dogs in purses and visits pretentious oxygen bars.
There are even rumors around town that her comments stem from her water not being room temperature at the Grand Sierra.
Schumer, all I am saying is that I suggest you give Reno another look. And most importantly: come on, girl. Get your pronunciation together. It’s Nevada, not Ne-vah-da.
Ali Schultz studies journalism. She can be reached at alexandraschultz@unr.edu and on Twitter @TheSagebrush.
