JERRY LEWIS - LEWIS REPRESENTATIVE CAMPAIGNING FOR TOP U.S. HONOUR

The man allegedly fired by JERRY LEWIS over claims he charged a freelance journalist thousands to interview the funnyman is now fighting to land the comedian the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. Entertainment svengali Rick Saphire reveals he and his long time friend fell out over the summer scandal, but he was never officially sacked by Lewis. And now Saphire, who manages the funnyman's son Gary Lewis, the frontman of hit group The Playboys, is spearheading a campaign to land Lewis one of America's top honours. Saphire, who calls himself Lewis' "representative" says, "I continue to represent Jerry Lewis on a non-exclusive, project by project basis, which has always been the case. "Owing to my initiatives in his behalf, Jerry Lewis has been under consideration by the White House." A previous report suggested Lewis axed Saphire after learning he had allegedly demanded $20,000 (GBP10,000) for an interview with the legendary funnyman. Saphire insists he turned the interview down because it wasn't connected to Lewis' Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, which he was promoting at the time. The reporter, who claimed to be representing Newsweek magazine, then posted the svengali's email correspondence on his blog. Saphire recalls, "Jerry was embarrassed and we had some words. He was screaming down the phone at me. But he never fired me."