The Morton Downey Jr. Show: AIDS (1988)

[@BigBlack81]

Gold. Please keep posting.

[@caisearbhan4738]

Wow, this discussion featured some seriously honest dialogue. Both medical speakers offered truly insightful perspectives that are particularly impressive considering the era of panic and misinformation in which this was recorded.

[@goldcanyon340.]

So true. It is as relevant today, as it was then.

[@stillnotwoke]

Just like COVID b.s.

[@maryannrobb6408]

I was going through a divorce from a cheating husband and I just had a baby. I watched Mort faithfully, and got me through the bad times...😎

[@charlietriana9448]

Mort was a genius. His show may have been tabloid but it was provocative. It was touching and it was informative. It was ahead of its time. His brother was a courageous man.

[@randycunningham7318]

It was all BS.

[@charlietriana9448]

@@randycunningham7318 okay?

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

It was interesting TV. Very different from anything on at the time.

[@StragglerTx]

Mort portrayed Americana 🇺🇲💪🏼

[@CYOnTheBeat]

Thank you for the uploads

[@goldcanyon340.]

Absolutely!

[@DudemanSwede]

That moustsche dude knew his sh*t!

[@jaybae8056]

yezzo died of a heart attack 11 june 1998

[@kingporter67]

Excellent AIDS topic on the Morton Downey Jr. Show!!

[@nastarwarrior]

You gotta have a smoke while you're watching Mort.

[@BigBlack81]

And a drink.

[@goldcanyon340.]

So true, lol

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

Should be the highest rated comment for this video. Period.

[@kimr5479]

Thank You for this video, I love these Talk Shows from back in the Day!👍

[@goldcanyon340.]

Glad you like them!

[@claytonbouldin9381]

This show was tabloid tv, but did have moments that overcame that stigma.

[@TupacNation]

Yah it was but still great to watch and I think it had enough info that was not bs that you could take with you.

[@dellex12]

He was right about AZT.... like Dallas Buyers Club

[@thatgirl9759]

Anthony Downey died 12/1/94, six years after this show aired. ❤

[@goldcanyon340.]

That is very sad. I was not aware know that was the date it happened. I’m proud to help carry on his legacy by posting this; he was a kind soul & had a lot to offer to all of us❤️

[@thatgirl9759]

@@goldcanyon340. Thanks for uploading these videos!!!

[@brooke8567]

Pole smoker

[@thatgirl9759]

@@brooke8567 Yes, your grandmother is.

[@mego73]

A lot longer than I would have believed..

[@StragglerTx]

Forgot how much I missed this show 🍻

[@johnbowen35]

At the end of the day, Morton Downey Jr was a good man, a husband, a father, and as we see here, a loving brother. I have nothing but respect for him. He truly stands by what he believes in, he's not acting. The man had integrity and compassion for others. I don't agree with the lifestyle of being gay, nor am I qualified or empowered to pass judgement on anyone, for anything, I hate to see these men and others suffer with this disease, and the effects it has on them and their families. And most importantly, this is Morton Downey, presenting a show, and a subject so taboo ot those times, all in an effort to try to save his brothers life, that's epic imo. I wasn't alive in the 80s, but as I watch this vid, it's clear that this show was a dramatic departure from Mortons other shows. He just loves his brother, and doesn't want him to die....

[@MrShobar]

To which one of his four wives was he a good husband?

[@624radicalham]

If you weren't alive in the 80s and are not from that generation, why do you call being a gay a "lifestyle"? And why don't you answer your responses?

[@stillnotwoke]

​@@MrShobar Right? He was a "showman", after all, and I don't believe he cared all that much for his brother, but it made for a good "show". I used to watch his "show" when it originally aired, and it was good for a few laughs... that's about it.

[@pfcwar5150]

$1500 in 1988 is worth $3975 now

[@Jamestele1]

It should be criminal for an already existing drug like that.

[@stillnotwoke]

Look add all the money the pharmaceutical companies made off of covid-19...

[@brandon1351]

Tony on the mega defensive with AZT can see the "oh $hit, I'm dead"

[@knowpassword]

Talk about a trip back in time..

[@lisascorp]

I know. I was 22 when his show was on. Brings me back to the time.

[@donaldbermudez7771]

Props to the jersey/new york dude who pointed out the huge, still existing, AIDS problems in African that was really never a 'gay problem' like it was in America.

[@paktype]

The theme song was the best part of the show

[@displayfireworks]

If what I read is correct his brother died 8 years later in December 1994 at age 59

[@Clickclocklovelock]

Wow thanks so much for posting, didn't think I'd get to see this episode! Was this ever aired on public TV? I heard they decided not to broadcast this one.

[@goldcanyon340.]

No it wasn’t public tv, just regular syndication.

[@thetreasurehouse1742]

I wish that MDJ had focused his energy on programs with this very serious issue even more, say at least once, or twice a month. His thug attitude aside, I saw him fighting for his brother, loving him, and really caring.

[@vincentmurphy9252]

Great show of course it was wild but 80s-90s were awesome

[@NEONOIRERA]

This was great tv

[@Mr.Majestic77]

I always thought that the late Morton Downey Jr. and Robert Downey Jr. were related.

[@nzelver559]

Nope

[@goldcanyon340.]

I myself actually wondered that too. Until i came to the realization that Robert’s father was Robert Downey Sr & Morton’s father was Morton Downey Sr lol

[@brooke8567]

The fact that each one has a Jr at the end of their name suggests otherwise. Jr. means they are named after their father. Get it?😂

[@MrShobar]

No.

[@daverindone655]

No, it's Morton Salt.

[@thatgirl9759]

Peter Duesberg contributed to helping lead a lot of people go to an early grave. Horrible person!

[@dickvandickweed]

💯

[@spokentruth5909]

He’s still alive too

[@timchandler4688]

Peter has alot of points. To this day. No one can truly explain aids

[@thatgirl9759]

@@timchandler4688 In the early 80's, it was craziness. It's very simple now. Without modern medicine, you die. With modern medicine, you live a long average life. I have a friend who has had HIV since 1985. He survived and made it the antiviral medication. He is now in his 60's. Duesberg encouraged people not to take meds. Every one of his AIDS denialist friends are dead.

[@thatgirl9759]

I know, isn't that crazy?

[@JohnSanJuan-zp1ed]

A lots of People died of AIDS! I remembered that epidemic! Silent one!

[@JohnSanJuan-zp1ed]

It was Sad Reality.

[@RicArmstrong]

And somehow it's almost disappeared. Isn't that odd....

[@kelvinloyola6070]

Brutal. And real.

[@charlesfranklinlambeth3944]

Well those AIDS/HIV deniers, who did make fools of themselves, were right about AZT.

[@MikeTrujillo-fd2fn]

Morton smoked 🚬 too much! 💀

[@baberuth2863]

love mort

[@verlinden80]

I wonder if there was a disclaimer at the beginning cuz this episode is a lil graphic Imo

[@mustaffa1611]

7:54

[@snapperhead273]

audio is too low.

[@johnercalisanga5300]

This is a great Video for self-awareness for people who were into Sexual activities and yet this video is gold and an Icon, but truthfully this is sad for people who have experienced this disease, especially for the Gay people must be aware of this too🙁😐.

[@goldcanyon340.]

Well said. Thanks for watching!

[@stillnotwoke]

You forgot to insert "deviant" before "sexual activities"... you're welcome.

[@MikeTrujillo-fd2fn]

These 2 brothers are both gone? 💀💀

[@goldcanyon340.]

Unfortunately that is true.

[@OctavioDelgado-ft8rd]

Whatever happened to this guy

[@nazur72]

He died of Lung Cancer.

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

I once pitched while Tony caught it back in 1983. Thankfully I made it.

[@spokentruth5909]

Huh

[@ChrisOhMy]

@@spokentruth5909 This guy says he banged Tony

[@c.d.8975]

Mort did a great job hiding the fact he was bisexual

[@andy42x]

I think you may be thinking of Robert Downey jr

[@konstantinkoverchenko9587]

I wonder what Mort would say about Magic’s fake hiv?

[@goldcanyon340.]

Right! It’s too bad Morton’s show was already cancelled by then.

[@RyanKeriger-qt2pq]

I don't know if anyone else here was in Grade school like me in the late 80s, but I remember everyone was scared of it, (the parents and society I mean us kids didn't really give two shits about it, besides teasing or name calling someone like, "That you stink/ there dirty and have AIDS for example) I'm mean AIDS panic was a thing, and because of it directly, (my poor teacher Ms Allen said so because she was constantly being harassed by parents as to why she was teaching 9 and 10 year olds about sex) I remember we were taught the majority of sex education at 4th grade, when normally the curriculum is for 6th and 7th graders

[@ronfroehlich4697]

I was still in grade school in the late 80's and I remember the fear mongering ramping up to it's peak in the early 90's. By the mid 90's it was becoming noticable that heterosexuals who didn't shoot drugs with needles or have sex with needle using drug abusers didn't get HIV. People my age were a thousand times more afraid of accidental pregnancy than they were of HIV/AIDS when we became sexually active.

[@robertsquared2916]

I was 11 yrs old in 1985, Gay guy on my block was the first person to have AIDS in my town, he went on ABC news to talk about it. He had to go to the Hospital EMS showed up in Haz Mat suits, Police shut the whole block down we were so scared, crazy times.

[@lizziej72]

Tony was so combative with that doctor

[@DeadBeatHotShot]

Everyone should look up Dr Robert Willner . Deadly deception is the name of the book.

[@ryanrose1565]

Does morton downey jr ever stop smoking. How unprofessional. I have ben hiv for over forty years.

[@zroy9263]

If you want to dance, you gotta pay the fiddler! It's the life that he chose. It's called ACCOUNTABILITY!

[@lhart99]

A.I.D.S and being gay have absolutely nothing to do with one another. If that was the case why are so many straight people dead from aids? Now you wanna talk about not having accountability and being reckless, then you're spot on.

[@zroy9263]

@lhart99 It's all relative and I agree with you! Being reckless, immoral, and irresponsible will bring A.I.D.S to your life! However, statistics medical records, and facts don't lie about this disease and its victims.

[@zroy9263]

@lhart99 It's all relative and medical science doesn't lie!

The host looks like he was in the Rat Pack

[@DavidGibson-vt6rk]

Morton and Tony's father was a famous opera singer and actor in the 30's with Warner Bros/ Vitaphone short subjects

[@Stereostupid]

I grew up with Morton!

[@RustyCrawford-cc1zy]

What is the most fecal of all the lifestyles