Titusville to Tosh: Thanks, but No Thanks

The host of the Comedy Central show Tosh.O tried to make city officials in his Florida hometown an offer they couldn't refuse.

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Picture Group / Comedy Central

It’s not every day a city council declines a chance to honor a hometown boy made good. But when that hometown boy becomes famous for his lewd, profane and frequently naked appearances on a late night comedy show, even the most well-meaning local politician might pause. Comedian Daniel Tosh, host of the Comedy Central program Tosh.O, graduated from Astronaut High in Titusville, Florida in 1993; on Tuesday the city council nixed a plan to honor him with a banner hanging from a local water tower.

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Councilmembers voted down a proposal from C2C Outdoor, who runs advertising campaigns for Comedy Central and others, to hang a banner reading “TOSH 5.29” on the water tower from May 14 to June 10, in exchange for $7,000, which was expected to be used to help fund the town’s 2012 July Fourth celebration, according to local news station WTSP. Mayor Jim Tulley described the proposal as “fraught with peril” during the council meeting Tuesday night, indicating that he has seen Tosh brilliantly skewer people on his popular show, which culls its material — mostly viral videos and submissions by fans — from some of the grossest corners of the Internet. However, the city council was willing to brave potential future public mocking and turned down the idea. “I don’t think it’s a good use of public property,” Councilwoman Martha Long said. “The fact that there is $7,000 being waved in front of us, it’s not worthy.” The council voted 4-1 to deny the proposal.

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