He SAID it was a joke.
That doesn’t make it one.
That’s the typical bully/thug response when caught and confronted about wrongdoing.
Turn it back on everyone else, claim it was a *joke* and complain that you can’t help it if nobody else has a sense of humor. Make everyone else the bad guy and him the martyr.
Not buying it.
What he did was thought out, deliberate and intentional. It took planning and time and effort.
No, it was not a joke.
Do you think the fact that he’s a comedian influence the way you think about whether it was a joke?
Exactly. It wasn’t a joke or a prank and it wasn’t intended to be one.