Lisa Lampanelli Defends Calling Lena Dunham the N-Word—It Means "Friend," She Says

Stand-up comic explains her use of a certain racial epithet in what she says was a non-derogatory way

Considering Lisa Lampanelli's been using the N-word her entire stand-up career, this isn't much of a surprise.

The insult comic sparked a little bit of an online brouhaha when she took to her Twitter page and linked to a pic on her WhoSay page in which she used the controversial appellation to give props to fellow funnylady Lena Dunham following the Writers Guild Awards.

"Me with my n---a @LenaDunham of @HBOGirls – I love this beyotch!!" the 51-year-old Lampanelli tweeted Monday along with a photo of the two of them. 

That sparked criticism by a number of her followers and bloggers, while others took to defending her.

But the star of Comedy Central's Roast series, who dubs herself "the queen of mean" and is known for uttering racial expletives in her act, wasn't backing down.

"Glad 2 have given u something other than Alec Baldwin to talk about on my day off! Loving & laughing at it all! Thanks, Twitterverse!," she tweeted yesterday, referring to the uproar surrounding the 30 Rock star, who was accused Sunday of using a racial slur against a photographer. 

Lampanelli didn't stop there.

"That seems to be a good 1 to end things on. Gotta go. There's a 6PM show of Django Unchained. Have to go C if it's racist. LOL," she wrote.

In a more direct response to the haters, Lampanelli explained why she'll continue to use it. 

"The N-word ending in 'er' is far different context from the word ending in 'a.' Ask any person who knows the urban dictionary, it means 'friend,'" she told the Huffington Post. "And by the way, if I had put the word ending in 'er,' that would have been a very derogatory thing about Lena meaning she is less than me, and I view her as very above me. 'A' on the end means 'my friend.'"

She added: "I have been using these words since I started in comedy and guess what, people? I won't stop anytime soon, just because your ass is up on Twitter. I have always used in my act every racial slur there is for Asians, blacks, gays and Hispanics. To me, it's acceptable if the joke is funny and if it is said in a context of no hate. It's about taking the hate out of the word."

And there you have it, folks.