Congressmen Rip Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Golden Globes E-Cigarette in Letter to NBCU’s Steve Burke

Two congressmen complained to NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke on Thursday about a Golden Globes awards stunt that featured Julia Louis-Dreyfus smoking an e-cigarette.

During the opening monologue of Sunday night’s award show, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler joked that Louis-Dreyfus was acting “too cool” for her television roots by opting to sit with the movie stars instead of TV stars. In a letter revealed Thursday, Reps. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said the stunt glorified the smoking of e-cigarettes and could cause more children to smoke.

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“Recently during the Golden Globe Awards, we were dismayed to see actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus featured on primetime television using an electronic cigarette,” said the letter.

“In the coming days and weeks, young people will be among the audience tuning in to the National Football League Divisional Championship games, Superbowl XLVIII, the 86^th Academy Awards, and other high-profile broadcast events.  We write to call your attention to the public health concern of youth e-cigarette use and to urge your network to avoid sending the wrong message to kids about these products.”

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“Our view is that e-cigarettes should be subject to the same advertising and marketing rules that apply to cigarettes and that are designed to protect our children from the harms of tobacco use.  We would encourage you to consider adopting these policies.  At a minimum, e-cigarette advertisements should not be run during programming that attracts a large audience of children.”

The newest comments from members of congress came a day after four senators also questioned the smoking.

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In a letter to NBC Universal and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association reported on Tuesday, Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; and and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass, urged NBC Universal and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to take action to ensure that future broadcasts avoid the glamorization of smoking and protect the health of young fans.