Comedian Says Lorne Michaels Refuses to Hire Gay Men on SNL

Lorne Michaels has long been a piece of shit.

Didn't he hire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers?

R2 - also: Chris Kattan, Mike Meyers, Will Forte...

Isn't there also a DLer who claims Will Ferrell?

The percent of gay men hired at SNL is less than 1%.

I enjoyed Will Ferrell in his role as Buddy the Elf in "Elf."

Did any of you bother to read the article? It’s about OUT gay men

Jeez

R1, I agree.

[QUOTE]Think about it. It’s easy to rattle off a list of very successful lesbian stand-up comics. Ellen DeGeneres. Tig Notaro. Wanda Sykes. Margaret Cho. Rosie O’Donnell. But has there ever been a hugely successful out gay male comic?

[QUOTE]Perhaps even more shocking is the fact that there hasn’t been an out gay male full-fledged cast member on SNL since Terry Sweeney became the first and only one more than 30 years ago. He only lasted one season, from 1985-1986, and has since been more or less lost to history. It was another 26 years before the show brought on its next out cast member, current star Kate McKinnon. In 2016, Chris Kelly became the first openly gay co-head writer (along with Sara Schneider) in SNL’s history, but they left to create a new show for Comedy Central the following year.

[QUOTE]“It would be nice if they put a gay man on camera on that show,” Adomian tells me over lattes in the lobby of his hotel in Austin. “I’ve been out of the closet the whole time since I auditioned 13 years ago. You would think that they would have tried to put someone else on that was a gay man. It’s about time.”

Will Forte isnt gay. Stop the lies.

R4, I saw that and it makes me feel weird about him. But I never knew about Paul Newman, either.

If I were a comedian I wouldn’t want to be on SNL. They lock you in and then pretty much control your career for years and that’s if you’re lucky. If you’re not lucky, you don’t get much to do and then they axe you and people say you sucked on SNL, because you never got a chance to do anything but be wallpaper.

Maybe we’re smarter people.

Margareth Cho's a lesbian? I missed that, somehow. The only out gay comedian I can think of is Billy Eichner and he was never on SNL, so they have a point there.

I don't understand why SNL survives to this day and MADtv died, because the latter was the far superior show. I wish the old episodes of MAD could be released on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

The guy that plays trump on the Comedy Central show is gay too, I think.

Why don't they bring MADtv back? I agree, it really was better.

Adomian is very funny. No reason guys like him shouldn’t be on SNL, other than the straight bro boys’ club still being in place.

He was funny. I didn’t expect to laugh but the Gorka video was great

Lorne Michaels has long been known to be a mean-spirited and bigoted piece of shit and proof that not all Canadians are nice people.

I want there to be a real funny gay guy, not just a token gay man on the cast. I don't want a Sasheer Zamata, or Melissa Villaseñor equivalent casting.

However you don't really hear the outcry from Twitter over the lack of gay male representation as much as other groups (women, poc, latinx, etc.).

Sidenote, Bill Hader is hosting this weekend with musical guest Arcade Fire! Should be a great show!

Anthony Atamanuik's Trump is WAY more accurate than Alec Baldwin's.

I went searching for the reason Darrell Hammond doesn't play Trump on SNL anymore, and I discovered this incredibly sad account:

Aww, r20. I didn't know it went down like that.

Personally, I can't stand Baldwin, but his Trump is the correct choice for the time. I see Hammond in a different light, and hope he gets something big soon. He should possibly look into a dramatic role. With all he's experienced, I'm sure he would channel a gutting performance.

I've never cared for the name Darrell.

[quote]Personally, I can't stand Baldwin, but his Trump is the correct choice for the time

It's all mugging and gestures. Phil Hartman did an excellent impression of him back when he was on the show, that played into his superficiality brilliantly. Baldwin just goes for the obvious and it's underwhelming (with those stupid pursed lips every two seconds) . It's a shitty, one note performance compared to Dana Carvey, Tina Fey, Kate McKinnon and Hammond as Bill Clinton. Like Lorne said with Rosie, "You can't play it from hate". Pity he didn't take the same advice when it came to casting Baldwin.

And this exemplifies the whole problem with SNL in the last decade and a half. Celebrity taking over and outshining the show itself. This would have been the perfect opportunity to give a cast member a shot to impersonate Trump or Spicer and catapult them into the stratosphere. The only thing interesting about the show and it's gets snubbed from the actual cast.

[QUOTE]This would have been the perfect opportunity to give a cast member a shot to impersonate Trump or Spicer and catapult them into the stratosphere.

Baldwin wasn’t the first choice to play Trump. They tried what you said with another young cast member but it wasn’t going anywhere. The impersonation became a national phenomenon after Baldwin tried it.

none of the new cast members would be able to play Trump.

Who'd they get to play him? McKinnon? She seems to play everyone, man or woman. Can you imagine if a man portrayed a woman nowadays? Twitter would shit itself.

Nah it was a guy. He’s been in a couple movies.

They should get a hot instaA-gay on the cast who takes his shirt off every sketch.

The guy on the left in this picture. Never memorized his name.

When Jordan Peele was leaving MADtv he actually auditioned to play Obama on SNL but Michaels didn't hire him.

Do YOU remember who played Obama on SNL?

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed once watching SNL

You must have HATED Newhart, r22.

Confirming what I've always suspected about SNL casting decisions.

Who're some funny out comedians who'd be a good fit for snl? I'd guess they're out performing in NYC, or la.

Mario Cantone is annoying but he has range.

[quote]Why don't they bring MADtv back? I agree, it really was better.

The CW did a reboot of it in 2016. Some original cast members guest starred. But, it flopped hard in the ratings.

I’ve wondered why James Adomian isn’t more famous. He’s quite talented, and charming.

This doesn't surprise me at all. Lorne Michaels has always been drawn to casting straight, smarmy, patrician, smug, white guys, and anyone else has been an afterthought. That said, it makes sense given the show's audience.

[quote]I want there to be a real funny gay guy, not just a token gay man on the cast. I don't want a Sasheer Zamata, or Melissa Villaseñor equivalent casting.

[quote]However you don't really hear the outcry from Twitter over the lack of gay male representation as much as other groups (women, poc, latinx, etc.).

I think Melissa Villasenor is slightly better than Zamata. But, yeah Villasenor's hiring came from outcry on twitter. Two Latina comedians Jenni Ruiza and Jesenia were the ones who started the twitter outcry because they were pissed about Cecily Strong playing Latinas in sketches. But, their social media activities showed bitterness that their careers didn't take off. Jesenia posted a bunch tweets bashing Upright Citizens Brigade which probably pissed off a lot of people connected with SNL. Jenni and Jesenia posted on twitter and youtube about being happy about Villasenor's hiring. But, they revealed themselves to be hypocrites when they stayed quiet on Villasenor's racist tweets scandal.

[quote] Do YOU remember who played Obama on SNL?

There was nothing to remember. For eight years SNL did nothing but blow kisses to the White House.

[quote] The CW did a reboot of it in 2016. Some original cast members guest starred. But, it flopped hard in the ratings.

It was terrible.

And I wanted it to succeed, because I loved Mad TV 1.0, but lo, it was truly awful.

When Fred Armisen played Obama there were a couple of sketches the Chinese president bashed Obama. Will Forte played the Chinese president and Nasim Pedrad played the interpreter. I was surprised there wasn't outrage for these sketches.

He has hired gays and lesbians.

Now you have it both ways.

HELLO!! Adam Sandler, MIke Meyers and the aforementioned Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Chris Kattan, and Will Forte. Still not sure about David Spade. Always pinged, even though he was said to be dating Heather Locklear. (Not buying it. Just think they liked to party together.) How about Norm MacDonald? Never seemed straight in the least? And Chevy Chase? I have serious doubts about him. No, none of these guys were out. But Lorne did hire them. And by the way, Lorne Michaels never seemed like an especially manly man anyway. I think he and Paul Simon were secret lovers throughout the years.

R43, Hello!! I think they're all straight, except for perhaps Kattan. To me it is a lot more believable that Lorne Michaels won't hire gay men than that all of those guys were somehow secretly gay.

The fight continues. Alec Baldwin just tweeted to James Adomian.

Alec is like Trump. He just can't control himself and stop clapping back on Twitter.

I still wouldn't watch it.

Yea madtv reboot sucked.

Was/is Michael McDonald gay? He pinged to me.

Jay Pharoah played Obama post-Armisen, you pinheads.

And Tina Fey got Baldwin the Trump gig. She's one of the few people to whom Michaels kowtows. I usually am Team Tina, but this time around, she - unintentionally or otherwise - totally screwed Hammond, whose Trump is WAY superior to Baldwin's.

Hammond’s Trump is for a time when we actually liked him. Baldwin’s Trump is more suitable for today.

I never understood SNL's fascination with Alec Baldwin. I mean, he's Alec Baldwin... big deal.

I think he's stuck with the Trump thing... it all got bigger and more necessary than anybody expected and now they're all trapped in it.

Agreed on Alec Baldwin, he must suck Lorne’s dick.

R43 just because Spade’s biggest contribution to SNL was essentially a DL-thread put to film, doesn’t make him gay.

You mean he refuses to hire out gay males

You guys, Spade is not gay. He would not be the least bothered by the insinuation that he is though, He's very self aware and he well knows that he looks like a rather nerdy sissy(his words, not mine.)

As hard as it is to believe, not only is he straight, but he has probably gotten more smokin' hot ass in Hollywood than the more macho masculine actors put together. He has a combination which women find irresistible: he keeps them laughing, since he's never been married and he is always working he has more money than you think, and he has a very big dick(and he is known to be a virtuoso of the tongue.) There is hardly a woman breathing oxygen who is not a sucker for a man with those traits and abilities. The only thing he is lacking is a great face and body, but that's also the reason he works so hard. Guys who have the appearance package just don't need to dedicate themselves to pleasing the women. They don't think they need to.

My guesses: Sandler

Fallon

Kattan

Farrell(but this is the one I am the least sure of)

Mike Myers

Taran Killam ( he is, but I am convinced he is fighting it, so you can't really call him closeted)

At one time I though Seth was a possibility, but I watch his show nightly and I have come to think that he is a really content husband and dad--unlike Jimmy. And finally, I wonder about Lorne himself. If you ever observed him in a non-televised casual situation, you would think he pinged to high heaven. And the way he talks....oh my.

[quote] Taran Killam: he is, but I am convinced he is fighting it, so you can't really call him closeted.

Seriously, friend of the show? You must know Taran pretty well to say that.

I always did think he was an adorable gay twink when he was on MADTV and just hadn’t realised it or come out to himself yet. If you & I are right about that, surely it can’t have taken him this long to accept it..

What do you mean by saying he’s “fighting it”, though? Is it that refusing to admit he’s gay or trying to convert himself, or that he’s fighting against agents closeting him?

If it’s the former, then his Alex Band impression on MADTV is even funnier.

Would love to know if any of the current male cast members are closeted. If so, hopefully it's one of the hot ones (Beck, Day, Jost or Moffat).

R55 Definitely the former.

[quote]Would love to know if any of the current male cast members are closeted. If so, hopefully it's one of the hot ones (Beck, Day, Jost or Moffat).

Mikey Day and Beck Bennett are straight. Mikey used to date Selma Blair when they were in the US remake of Kath and Kim. He has a son with his wife or girlfriend. Her name is Paula Christensen and she is a comedy writer. Moffat is only one that pings my gaydar.

Lorne Michaels did hire an out gay guy John Milhiser for the 2013-2014 season. Milhiser was hired along with Beck, Kyle Mooney, Brooks Wheelan, and Noel Wells. The show later added Sasheer Zamata and Colin Jost as a WU anchor later on. It was a crowded cast and Milhiser didn't make a huge impression and wasn't in a lot of sketches. He got fired after that season along with Whelan and Wells.

Why is everyone looking at me?

John Milhiser is an out gay actor? According to whom?

They should hire randy rainbow

Milhiser on twitter

John Milhiser ‏Hey, @thedailybeast I’m pretty sure that I was out and proud as a gay man when I was an SNL cast member for a hot sec. 2nd after Terry. There should be more though. Go see @lovesimonmovie !!! :)

Did anybody else on earth know he was gay before he made that tweet?

My guess is that they are all straight. The idea that SNL discriminates against gays doesn't surprise me in the least. People lose sight of how culturally conservative an institution like SNL is. They aren't trying to be cutting edge or wildly satirical like the old Mad TV. They go for mild chuckles instead of raucous laughter. SNL's demographic is firmly middle America, middle-aged and middle-brow. Hence the reliance on "safe" acts like Justin Timberlake, or the endless non-challenging "game show" skits and opening musical numbers. I couldn't say whether Michaels is anti-gay or not, but I honestly think he believes that we are not the demographic that his advertisers are paying for. He's never going to shake things up unless he feels there is a really compelling reason to do so. Certainly the sponsors are not going to push for it.

Anyone else remember the time Samberg as Aaron Carter was practically dryhumping Sudeikis in that ‘House of Carters’ sketch?

They both looked terrible as blonds.

[quote]I couldn't say whether Michaels is anti-gay or not, but I honestly think he believes that we are not the demographic that his advertisers are paying for. He's never going to shake things up unless he feels there is a really compelling reason to do so. Certainly the sponsors are not going to push for it.

I don't think Michaels is anti-gay. I think in years past he worried about pissing off the middle America audience. Former co-head writer Chris Kelly is gay and current writer Julio Torres is out. There were a bunch of gay themed sketches last season.

old thread about John Milhiser

Nothing in there about him being gay.

Milhiser couldn't really be publicly because he never really did anything publicly. He was barely noticed on the show.

Any public response from any SNL players past or present?

I wouldn't count on it from the current cast, r71. If Lorne brings in some diversity hires, some of thems gotta go.

You mean someone like Colin Jost would get shit canned? r72

I was doing a crossword 1996 NY Times yesterday and it said Lorne Michaels was an “actor”.

Mikey Day is straight? Seriously?

Terry Sweeney turned up the Assination of Gianni Versace. He was good on his brief SNL time. Honestly, he was on at the height of the AIDS crisis and I think that worked against him

r54, does his wife realize he's gay or, given that she's Canadian, does she just assume *everyone* is gay, given that there are no straight Canadians?

It's all about women right now. I'm happy that women are now getting more representation and standing up and being heard.

I just don't think gay men getting a chance is a high priority for anyone other than us fellow gays.

It was a white gay that was given a chance with Terry, and you know it'll be another white guy when it happens again. Our culture has held back too many groups of people to make everyone happy at one time.

[quote]I wouldn't count on it from the current cast, [R71]. If Lorne brings in some diversity hires, some of thems gotta go.

Maybe, he'll finally get rid of Kyle Mooney to make room.

Yes Mooney still being there is astonishing. Does he write a lot of the sketches? Is he a stand up comedian? His old stand up comedian bit on WU is cringeworthy, and not in the way he intends it to be.

Does anyone else get slightly unpleasant, douche-bro vibes from Jost and Bennett? I imagine them being quite homophobic in private.

Jost may be a stepdad soon, so he won't call out Lorne.

Has anyone here had dealings with Jon Rudnitsky?

Rudnitsky was in a movie a couple years ago where he lusted for Reese Witherspoon.

I remember seeing the trailer for that r84. It looked pretty shit.

[quote]Mikey Day is straight? Seriously?

Yes. He has never pinged

When John Cena guest-hosted, it looked like Day was using any excuse possible to jump into Cena’s arms/fly around in his underpants after getting punched by Cena, etc. To me, Day reads as bi, at minimum ...

Lorne Michaels: another awful Baby Boomer who won't fucking retire. RETIRE OLD MAN. Y

I was on a flight last year with Jon Rudnisky. No stories other than I kept staring at him in the waiting area trying to figure out where I knew him from. (I thought he might be from Sean Cody or Chaturbate.)

Kyle Mooney is hilarious, though his vibe doesn't quite gel with what SNL does, which is why he sticks out. His filmed bits are hilarious, and I love his bad comic character that he does on Update.

Even so, pretty surprised that he's still there.

Would love to find out Alex Moffat is gay but doubt that's the case.

[quote]Does anyone else get slightly unpleasant, douche-bro vibes from Jost and Bennett? I imagine them being quite homophobic in private.

I don't think Bennett is a secret homophobe. Jost gives me more of that vibe.

I agree r92. Something's 'off' about Jost, can't put my finger on it.

r93, it's that his mouth opens sideways instead of up and down. And he seems like an arrogant prick.

I think Lorne will probably make gay writer Julio Torres a cast member next season. Kenan Thompson should off SNL already along with Kyle Mooney.

Lorne only hires Ivy.

Totally unshocked by this response -- "gay men don't count because there are lesbians there!"

I believe that Lorne is gay but married to a woman. Very sophisticated arrangement.

James Adomian does voices for Showtime's Our Cartoon President and Kate McKinnon's sister also does voice work for that show. I'm curious if he has ever had a reruns with the sister.

I used to like Paula Pell. She seems to have missed the point. Sayonara to her.

Now would be the perfect time for any closeted cast members to come out.

The featured player Luke Null has gay face. He doesn't much on the show and will probably be shitcanned. Alex Moffat pings. None of the other guys ping. As for the SNL women, I wouldn't be surprised if Leslie Jones is a closet case and her whole antics about men are just for show. She pings to high heaven and so does Melissa Villasenor and her dyke voice.

If Moffat is gay and comes out, he could date new DL fave Adam Rippon, and be a gay power couple.

Brooks Wheelan was HOT

Jon Rudnisky always had that odd bit in the opening credit where some guy grabs his peck and holds it. I guess it was meant to be bro's having fun....but it seemed a little gay.

R103, I can't imagine who would be the top in that relationship.

I think Alex is so cute.

R107 he is adorable.

Margaret Cho is not gay. Being a fag hag was such a huge part of her schtick that she let it go to her head, and then started saying she was bi to be edgy.

I used to like her standup, but this really put me off. She tries wayyyyy too hard.

Alex has gotten way cuter this season. I didn't find him at all attractive last season, but he musta done something, because I think he's so cute now.

[r36] always suspicious when u wonder why someone isn't more famous... i feel like it means they suck as a person (regardless of talent) or burned too many bridges...if he was so great why wouldn't he be more famous ?

R44 actually Alec Baldwin did acknowledge in a tweet that SNL has had several gay male cast members over the years. He said they just were not open about it to the public. Here is part of a Twitter thread sparked by James Adomian's accusation that SNL is anti-gay:

onlyconnect‏ @onlyc0nnect · Mar 17

I don’t understand why you link to articles you don’t like. I’m a fan, and now I know that SNL has only hired 2 openly gay male performers in its entire history, and yeah, that number seems weirdly low and problematic. Does Lorne Michaels have a problem with gay men?

ABFoundation‏Verified account @ABFalecbaldwin · Mar 17

Do you think he has a problem with them? Based upon what? The bitter recriminations of those he didn’t hire? Consider the source.

Guy Branum‏Verified account @guybranum

Well, Alec, can you identify a gay man he did hire? That's like saying the only women who think there's misogyny are the ones who haven't gotten to be President yet.

ABFoundation‏Verified account @ABFalecbaldwin

I can identify several. But they were not out then and are not out now. You realize that possibility, right?

Michael‏ @humilitylove78

Using the defense that they do have some that are CLOSETED IN THIS DAY AND AGE on their show is absolutely pathetic as well as patently absurd sir.

Jason Sherry‏ @justjasonsherry

I think people are (willfully?) missing Alec's point here. If the performers weren't out, that's their own choice, and their sexual preference was known at the show, including to Lorne.

Pastel Masc 💫‏ @CamiloNazar

Why isn’t he hiring out queer performers? What are the implications a show like SNL is worried about? How do you get away being on the air for that long not hiring more than two out queer performers? That’s a problem you’re (willfully?) ignoring

Jason Sherry‏ @justjasonsherry

Not ignoring the problem at all; just disagreeing about what the problem is. I'm suggesting it's less an SNL problem than a broader industry problem about gay performers being comfortable about being out.

Stevie Mandius‏ @warmgulfwind

There ARE out gay comedians and actors who have auditioned for SNL and none of them in 40 years got hired. None of the out gay men who auditioned were good enough? That is the problem here, nothing to do with closeted gay performers. SNL never hire the OUT ones. Getting it yet?

Jason Sherry‏ @justjasonsherry

As a liberal, I want to see representation. As a director, it's about what you see in the room, having the right skill set for sketch comedy. The strongest player on the show for years has been a gay woman. Lorne is producing a gay SNL writer's new show. Talent breaks through.

You were "super done with this", remember? So, either stick to your conviction, or try to have a civil discussion. If Lorne Michaels is homophobic, then explain why he would use his own company to produce a gay writer's show? Representation matters. But so does talent.

But you have to take into account the history. Prior to the 90s (at the earliest), gay performers were stigmatized enough that being outed could "destroy" one's career. Thankfully, much of the country now realizes how appalling that was/is, but it was the case for a long time.

[quote]Has anyone here had dealings with Jon Rudnitsky?

I posted last year about being in a bar in Chicago where a group of four completely stereotypical douche-bros were douche-bro-ing it up. It was Rudnitsky and his douche-bro posse.

A lot of actors still fear that coming out will hurt their careers.

Most of the cast members on snl likely want to use the show as a launching pad to bigger projects, and being an out gay man may hinder them from opportunities. Such is the world of "progressive" Hollywood.

I think you are right, R114. SNL doesn't seem to have a problem hiring opening gay males to be a part of the show:

IndieWire:

...2016 head writer Chris Kelly is openly gay, as is  former cast member John Milhiser. Current writers Kent Sublette, James Anderson, Sam Jay, and Julio Torres are gay, in addition to producer Tom Broecker.

Plus, Lorne Michaels is the exec producer of the Tonight Show and has no problem with Julio Torres do bits on that show.

Julio would kill doing bits on Weekend Update.

It’s not easy to be in the comedy world (stand up or improv) as out & gay. I’ve posted about it before since I have done both. I’ll try to find one of my old posts where I went in to more detail ... or just retype my experiences.

Basically, It’s a bad combination of a (perceived) “limited audience” for “your humor” with biases that go back 50 years among people hiring. I’ve done 100+ unpaid open mics to develop matrrial and flopped plenty of times with the same material that killed in a more gay-friendly environment. And I’m not talking about homophobia. I mean, there are people who have never met a gay person out there - so the only way to get them to laugh is to go to the lowest common denominator of anal sex jokes (and that backfires too). And I really don’t find that crap funny or feel like doing junior high humor over & over.

With improv, where SNL hires from (like second city) a more “obvious” gay guy is pigeon holed in every sketch. He can never play the boyfriend. He’s always the “boyfriend who the dumb girl doesn’t know is gay” and that’s it. I can elaborate more later. I’m Sitting in a waiting room on my phone. That’s the gist.

Regarding what R117 said, I think Julio Torres is great but I don't see him being cast in sketches as "the boyfriend" for a straight female. That limits the sketches he'd be cast in.

Though based on what Alec Baldwin said, there have been gay SNLers who have played "boyfriend" roles. They just haven't been openly gay.

I stopped reading R112 on the 2nd use of the word "queer."

Anyone who uses that non-word doesn't deserve to be heard.

If you are making a point specific to gay men, and that gay men are not accepted as gay men, then use the words GAY MEN. Using the fake, PC, SJW, umbrella word "queer" just makes you a hypocrite. That word only serves to exemplify that gay men should somehow sub,imate their existence to a greater cause, and not be out. Calling yourself "queer" IS bein closeted.

Suck on that.

So Alec knows of closeted gay SNL cast members? Did he mean current, past, or both? Have any of you NYC DLrs any idea to whom he is referring? I'm sure they must be or must have been out and about the NYC gay scene.

Alec first hosted SNL in 1990 and he has hosted the show around 16 times in addition to his now ongoing role as Trump. He has met a lot of SNLers over the years.

I hope the closeted snl gays are hot.

The irony is SNL is rarely that funny and I’ve laughed more on some of the antics on Rupauls Drag Race. Though of course that is the issue. ... the audience. Will & Grace pulled off gay humor in the mainstream but a lot of gay people accused it of being a minstrel show (jack). Also the audience for that show isn’t SNL’s audience. I think SNL’s main demo is bros & elderbros - based on the shitty humor they’ve done for the last 20 years.

The Church Lady was the closest (major) thing they got to camp & that character is immortalized but I guess they can’t step back and realize what really drove the laughs there. It’s not the same as putting Horatio Sans in a wig.

[quote]always suspicious when u wonder why someone isn't more famous... i feel like it means they suck as a person (regardless of talent) or burned too many bridges...if he was so great why wouldn't he be more famous ?

I agree, Adomian might have burned too many bridges. He seems bitter as fuck that SNL didn't hire him. But, SNL rejected Jack McBrayer, Donald Glover, Aubrey Plaza, Ellie Kemper, Lisa Kudrow and other people who found success on sitcoms or other outlets. People in that group played the game better in the entertainment industry and it paid off for them and they probably don't have any bitterness towards SNL.

[quote]Though based on what Alec Baldwin said, there have been gay SNLers who have played "boyfriend" roles. They just haven't been openly gay.

I'm guessing Chris Kattan was one of the gay SNLers who played boyfriend roles. Kattan and Cheri Oteri had the recurring sketch where they played a bickering married couple.

Julio Torres and another gay SNL writer, Jeremy Beiler, wrote the SNL commercial parody for "Wells for Boys" for sensitive boys. They wrote that during the season when another gay man, Chris Kelly, was the first out gay co-head writer. That was before he left to create a prime-time comedy series to be produced by Lorne Michaels. So there is some background gay creative activity going on under Michaels' watch.

In addition to the Wells for Boys sketch, there were other sketches last season that included gay and lesbian characters like the gay robots sketch, the Surprise Lady sketch that included gay soldiers, the Cherry Grove sketch, and the Totinos lady kissing Kristen Stewart.

And the one about the auto shop guys who watched Drag Race.

A question here. Why is it that out of the hundreds of television series, SNL is the only one that is held to a sort of demographic correctness standard? One doesn't hear complaints that "Better Call Saul" doesn't feature gays, or that "How I Met My Mother" shortchanges Hispanic representation. And yet, there always seems to be this expectation that SNL needs to be fully representative. It is not that I object to appropriate representation (I don't), but it has always seemed odd that SNL is the only show called out on it. Thoughts?

I've never actually seen the "Wells for Boys" sketch before. That's fucking hilarious.

[quote]A question here. Why is it that out of the hundreds of television series, SNL is the only one that is held to a sort of demographic correctness standard? One doesn't hear complaints that "Better Call Saul" doesn't feature gays, or that "How I Met My Mother" shortchanges Hispanic representation. And yet, there always seems to be this expectation that SNL needs to be fully representative. It is not that I object to appropriate representation (I don't), but it has always seemed odd that SNL is the only show called out on it. Thoughts?

I have wondered about this too. I remember SNL being called out quite a bit in the 90s around the time after In Living Color ended and when MadTV premiered with several black cast members while SNL fired Ellen Cleghorne and Tim Meadows would be the only black cast member for several years. MadTV did hire Asian and Hispanic cast members later on which many applauded them for. There was an article a few years back that mentioned that the improv communities were SNL recruits most cast members from are predominately white. Yet, a lot of people don't complain about that factor.

Everyone keeps talking about the all the gay men on SNL, but none of them are out.

So, does their hiring absolve Michaels somewhat. Did he know, or at least suspect, that some of these comedians were gay (even if not out), before he hired them?

A poster upthread was talking about David Spade. Sure, he's not macho, and comes off as nerdy, but I have never thought he was gay. Listen to his Howard Stern interviews - he's more bro-ish than you'd think. Yeah, I know, I have no proof he's not gay, but, again, I just never, ever got a gay vibe from him. Not every straight boy is going to be a macho athlete type.

Yea I don't think it's fair to call Michaels homophobic. If he hires cast members regardless of sexual orientation, and they choose to stay closeted, that's not on Lorne.

Terry Sweeney said in a 2011 interview that Lorne Michaels was supportive of him during his stint on SNL. Sweeney did say there was a gay writer on staff at the time, but that writer didn't want to write for him. I don't think Michaels is the major homophobe that James Adomian makes him out to be.

R129 I think it's mostly because of things like Fred Armisen playing Obama or having no black women to play, well, black women. Remember they had Watkins play Hoda Kotb? Or the light skinned Maya Rudolph playing Oprah or Whitney or Omarossa (or however the fuck it's spelled). It's a sketch show so their troop should be ready to play just about anyone. Instead they have a repertory ideally suited for Matthew McConaughey impressions.

good point r129. Young straight white males seem to be the ones who watch SNL the most.......so that is what they hire.

Cole Escola would be perfect.

I always found it odd that a lot of people bitched about Fred Armisen playing Obama and white cast members playing Asians like Will Forte playing the Chinese president on SNL. Yet, a lot of people for some reason had no issues with MadTV's Miss Swann sketches or the sketch where Nicole Sullivan played a Hispanic woman.

Fred Armisan always creeped me out.

I always thought Horatio Sanz might be gay. He was pretty terrible on the show, but in interviews he seems quiet and sweet.

What proof is there that Brooks Wheelan is gay?

Again, who are any of these closeted (past or present) SNL cast members that Alec referenced?

If they were out in their personal lives, they would most likely hang with the NYC A-gay crowd. Any posters here run or used to run in that crowd?

R138, there was definitely some controversy about Alex Borstein’s Miss Swann character. Since MadTV was lower profile and Asian stereotypes more accepted, the controversy didn’t get as much press. But Borstein had to explain how she came up with the character (I think it was based on her grandmother) and defend herself against charges of racism. I couldn’t find her statements anywhere but I recall she wasn’t very sensitive about it, basically saying fuck you if you can’t take a joke.

R143 do you think so? I wonder. Would closeted gay comedians or comedians generally have that much in common socially with A-gays? I think comedians might be a different breed.

Think of some of the people that have been speculated about in this thread. They may be cute but many of them are kind of goofy and socially awkward. Many of them are also not especially body conscious. Which is why I think a lot of them fly under the radar. They probably mostly socialize with others in the comedy world.

Who suggested he was, r141? He’s attractive but I’ve never gotten a gay vibe from him. And I’ve listened to his comedy album and semi-studied his instagram. He’s refreshingly not a hipster douche-bro and was apparently really geeky as a kid. But that doesn’t equal gay

Brooks Wheelan left an engineering career to pursue comedy. He was originally hired as a writer on SNL and then was moved up to featured player. I don't think he's gay.

I'm guessing Paul Brittain is one of the closeted SNLers.

[quote]Hence the reliance on "safe" acts like Justin Timberlake, or the endless non-challenging "game show" skits and opening musical numbers.

To be fair, one of the game show sketches last season featured two guys kissing. So, they aren't always playing it safe.

I read the reason they do the game show skits is because it gives the cast members a chance to do the impressions they can do. Otherwise, when would they get a chance to do their often out-of-vogue impressions? Like, in what other skit could they work in Cecily Strong's Liza impression?

[quote]Again, who are any of these closeted (past or present) SNL cast members that Alec referenced?

I'm wondering if some of the past female cast members are in the closet. Vanessa Bayer pings and seems to always be "single".

SNL has become autistic. It won't be until Michaels is gone someday that the show will change. I can't believe it keeps the same effing format show-in and season-out, years after years. Cold intro, host live intro transitioning into musical number with cast, cues-reading stale recurring skits and characterizations, and 2 musical guests and 1 mid-show news update segments. MIX. IT. UP. What's wrong with him and their producers??

The prerecorded videos are the best part nowadays. They should do more of those and make WU a little longer.

WU is awful. Che and Jost have no chemistry and Che is high most of the time.

I find Che to be sex on a stick.

R151 I actually don't think the format will change even when Lorne is gone. He has been around for so long and has created a whole legion of devoted disciples who will carry on his legacy in the way he would want it.

SNL is comfort food for aging baby boomers. Of course they will never change the format, not by a minute.

Seth Meyers fucked around with guys in the past. He's Bi but now pretty much straight. That's why his wife is always hovering around him in public.

R157 and you would know this how?

Yeah, how do you know this, R157? Although Snarf is such WASPy perfection, I could believe he'd be big with both the girls AND the boys.

Yeah, R157, spill!

Any gossip on Andy Samberg?

R105, Yes he is!

[quote]When Fred Armisen played Obama there were a couple of sketches the Chinese president bashed Obama. Will Forte played the Chinese president and Nasim Pedrad played the interpreter. I was surprised there wasn't outrage for these sketches.

WTF? They didn't even try to make them look Asian. It was like they didn't even give a fuck. How are we supposed to believe that white guy there is the Chinese president?

R163 because there is a difference between satire and mimicry. Good comedians don't rely on dressing up for their humor. That's why Alec Baldwin's Trump is so weak. Despite the Trump costume, the writing is weak.

[quote]I actually don't think the format will change even when Lorne is gone. He has been around for so long and has created a whole legion of devoted disciples who will carry on his legacy in the way he would want it.

I think the show might end for good when Lorne retires or dies. Seth Meyers and Tina Fey have gone on record that they don't want to take over SNL.

Sometime back I was reading through the Kate McKinnon thread on L Chat. That thread is a shit show for several reasons and there is some weird Kenan Thompson fangirl over there who was convinced that Lorne is grooming Kenan to take over the show. Other posters disagreed with that fangirl. The McKinnon thread is hilarious to read and there were posts a year or two ago with people claiming that Lorne makes Kate dress and look feminine and that he dislikes butch lesbians. One of the writers Sam Jay is a big whole butch lesbian and she played Carlton in that Fresh Prince sketch that aired a couple of months ago.

If Lorne is grooming someone to take over SNL it's probably going to be someone who currently works behind the scenes rather than any current or previous on-air talent.

[quote]Why is it that out of the hundreds of television series, SNL is the only one that is held to a sort of demographic correctness standard?

Two reasons, I think. The first is that the cast routinely gets changed on SNL unlike, say, "How I Met Your Mother." Far more people have been cast members of the former than have been cast members of the latter. And the second reason is the sheer longevity of the show, over 40 years now.

And it isn't just SNL, of course. "Friends" was routinely excoriated for not having any black characters or even black bystanders, for example.

Colin Jost is wierd. He only looks fuckable on WU. Plus he looks like a smug douche-bro

I agree with R167.

Plus, getting cast in the show is like getting admitted to a top university. These newish comedians meet all the top stars who host the show and also gain access to so many connected people in the industry who worked on the show either in front of or behind the camera.

Look at Conan O'Brien. He would have never gotten David Letterman's old talk show if he hadn't been a writer on SNL. He got the show when he was about 30 despite having almost no history of appearing on camera.

Is there a new episode tonight?

[quote]If Lorne is grooming someone to take over SNL it's probably going to be someone who currently works behind the scenes rather than any current or previous on-air talent.

I agree, if someone is set to take over it's probably someone behind the scenes. Most of the Kate McKinnon fans on L Chat are delusional morons when it comes to SNL related subjects. They tend to bash the white male cast members and the new girl Heidi Gardner quite a bit. But, for some reason they get defensive if someone bashes Leslie Jones or Kenan Thompson. I think Leslie sucks as a cast member and Kenan is hit or miss and I can't see Lorne leaving the show to him.

Colin Jost does too much "explaining" humor. He doesn't tell jokes or punchlines, it is always like "ok so this week Trump did this which means ......... then some lame analogy"

I miss Tina Fey or Seth's rapid fire delivery.

Semi gay Seth with the beautiful feet was the best thing on the show.

No, r170.

I wonder if closet case Seth ever hooked up with Jimmy Fallon.

Guys calling Seth gay are reaching. His nerdy comedy friends on his talk show always mention how Meyers always got the girls, and they didn't.

R170, tonight's episode was a favorite among the DL SNL fans. It's the repeat of the Christmas episode where cutie cast member Alex Moffat was ice skating during the credits.

All this "poor Darrell Hammond" shit is nauseating. He is literally nuts. Makes Alec Baldwin look like the picture or mental health and stability. It was nice of Lorne to let Darrell Hammond have Don Pardo's announcing job because what else has he been doing? It must never have been easy to work with Hammond. "Oh hi, Dare, ready to go? Put your jacket on so the blood seeping through where you just cut your arms is covered up, k, hon?"

I wonder if Taran Killam was pissed that he wasn't give more of a chance to play Trump. He started off playing Trump for the 2015-16 season and then Hammond started playing Trump again. Some cast members have be to pissed when ex-cast members or celebs are brought on to do political impersonations.

Well, Darrel sure was. He probably imagined his mother forcing him to hold a fork in an electric socket when Lorne called to tell him Alec Baldwin was taking the gig. That's fucking showbiz man.

The firing of Taran was odd. What was the inside story on that? He's friends with Paul Brittain who also got fired oddly. (though he denies there was anything odd going on behind it but he suddenly left mid season.

Taran was fired? I thought he quit.

R181 Taran said in an interview that he believed that his firing was due to a project conflict. He said that he wanted to fulfill the seven year contract deal and leave once it was up.

SNL is becoming less, not more, gay friendly.

That's not true, R184. They had openly gay Troye Sivan as a musical guest this past January.

One gay musical guest doesn't amount to much.

Well, it points out they are not homophobic!

[QUOTE]wonder if Taran Killam was pissed that he wasn't give more of a chance to play Trump. He started off playing Trump for the 2015-16 season and then Hammond started playing Trump again.

It went from Taran to Alec Baldwin. They never really brought Hammond back to play Trump in any meaningful capacity.

R188 Hammond mostly played Trump during season 41(2015-2016).

Taran might be mad but he's not a big enough star to be able to air his complaints publicly. He's going to need those SNL ties throughout his career.

According to Wikipedia, Taran Killiam only played Trump a few times in 2015.

Some thoughts from Scott Thompson.

Village Voice: Scott Thompson on Buddy Cole and the Plight of the Queer Comic

You’ve talked about queer comics being “castrated” by not talking about sex more explicitly. Do you still find that’s the case, or are queer comics talking a bit more openly now?

Oh, absolutely, it’s changed. They’re still not going to the next level. There’s still never been an openly gay male comic that’s a star. Not one. I’m racking my brain right now….

Everyone does that, they rack their brain thinking I’m exaggerating and then no one can come up with a name. There’s James Adomian and Guy Branum and Andrew Johnston and Ted Morris and Darcy Michael — none of them. And I think that’s really sad.

People often talk about you being “ahead of your time.” It’s nice to get recognition, but maybe it would have been nicer at the time.

When you’re young, you can say it, when you’re young. It would have been nice if it had happened when I was doing it. It would have made things a little easier. One of the things I’ve learned in life is, there’s no money in being first. There’s really only — I wouldn’t even say glory, because the glory comes after you’re dead. When you’re first through the door, you just have to accept that the person who’s third is going to get all the attention.

R9 Tig Notaro is only known due to her cancer fraud and how she conned Louis CK.

All of those female comics mentioned at R9 were able to succeed without SNL. So, SNL is not the only reason there are no well-known out gay male comics.

I have a feeling that Lorne Michael would never cast a butch dyke like Tig Notaro for SNL. Kate McKinnon was a safe casting choice as she is a femme lesbian.

[quote]I have a feeling that Lorne Michael would never cast a butch dyke like Tig Notaro for SNL.

at least not an open one.....Leslie "ahem" Jones.

Melissa Villasenor... lesbian vibes anyone?

Another Scott Thompson interview.

Westword:

I was actually just reading this interview with James Adomian about Saturday Night Live, and I hadn't really thought about it before other than thinking he'd be perfect for their cast. And there definitely seems like there's a real problem there because not only is there no good reason to overlook someone so talented, but they've really like never had a gay cast member.

ST: Well, not since Terry Sweeney for one year in the '80s. That's it.

During arguably one of the worst seasons of the show.

ST: Absolutely, and now that I'm thinking about it, I think that was during the one year where Lorne Michaels had left the show and before he came back. So yeah, I agree.

I think standup is changing a little bit; there's a new generation of really funny people coming up right now.

ST: Absolutely, and I really hope they don't have to go through what my generation went through. And I don't just mean HIV, I mean society accepting them. There was no place in entertainment for a person like me until very recently. I certainly had a great run from Kids in the Hall to The Larry Sanders Show, but even with all of Garry Shandling's genius, I still played a gay guy with a pretty tiny role. And if I were a straight guy, that wouldn't have been the case.

Tig Notaro considers herself to be a man. She's FTM, so if she was picked she'd be the first Trans. Alas since she never had cancer and cut off her breasts for other reasons she can 't come out.

R199 I guess the most famous trans comedian is Eddie Izzard though many in the U.S. probably don't know him.

R200 I heard of him and saw his comedy. I thought it was terrible. it must pain Notaro that she can't become the most famous trans comedian without uncovering her cancer fraud in the process.

[quote]Melissa Villasenor... lesbian vibes anyone?

She pings to me. The other female featured player Heidi Gardner also pings, but she is married to a guy and they are also comedy writing partners.

Taran Killiam and his wife Cobie Smulders both ping to high heaven.

Bill Hader and his wife just got a divorce...any rumors about him?

Bill Hader gives off creepy vibes.

If Leslie Jones is a closet case, then she's a piece of shit to be close friends with out lesbian Kate McKinnon.

are they close friends or just co-stars?

there is some truth to what is being said about economic class.

I'm part of a group that kept in touch from college. A few of us were discussing how we all feel so awkward around one of the guys because he doesn't have much money (nor does he work very hard to get any but that is another story)

It is always awkward when we get together because he gets mad when ever anyone does anything. One girl went to Coachella and he literally freaked out and said how can you afford that? I always want to see we have jobs and we work at them. That is how you get money, dumb dumb.

[quote]are they close friends or just co-stars?

There were articles from around the time Ghostbusters was released that they had become closer friends during the filming.

[quote]SNL has become autistic. It won't be until Michaels is gone someday that the show will change. I can't believe it keeps the same effing format show-in and season-out, years after years.

Jay Mohr's book Gasping for Airtime detailed issues with the never changing SNL format and work schedule. Jay said something to the effect that the format started when SNL cast and writers coked out in the 70s and that he felt some changes should have made after that. The book gives other details on how crazy the writing schedule is and that cast members are usually physically and mentally exhausted throughout the season.

Lorne Michaels loves playing mind games with the cast and writers so they never feel safe or valued, he is a piece of shit for that alone.

R211 he seems to like a lot of the cast members who were associated with the Tina Fey years and they seem fond of him, too. He almost got fired around 1995 so I wonder if he was especially grateful that some really good cast members joined the show in the later 90s.

Michaels is/was a producer on a lot of projects feature SNL alums.

R210 but Jay Mohr didn't really do well on the show. He was accused of plagiarizing a skit. It's not surprising he has a negative view of SNL.

R214 Mohr admits to the plagiarism in the book and said he regretted it. He did vent a lot of his issues. But, he did say that he no hard feelings towards Lorne Michaels. He said he was got along well with most cast members except for Ellen Cleghorne. He mentioned Rob Schneider being an asshole, but said Ellen was much worse.

I think the pace has been mentioned by other people too.

Martin Short wrote in his book that even though he was successful and popular on the show, it was a difficult year because as soon as you finished one show it the pace started up all over again on Monday.

Yes, other cast members in interviews have mentioned the hectic pace. Bobby Moynihan mentioned in an interview when he was promoting that CBS sitcom that canned. Bobby said the work hours were longer than a sitcom schedule.

Who was the married closet-case on SNL that CQ mysteriously alluded to over Twitter that one time?

Reddit said Will Ferrell but I think it sounds more like Seth Meyers.

"One girl went to Coachella and he literally freaked out and said how can you afford that? I always want to see we have jobs and we work at them. That is how you get money, dumb dumb."

Yeah, because anyone who has a job will automatically be rich! You sound like a clueless freeper.

"Reddit said Will Ferrell but I think it sounds more like Seth Meyers."

At least one DLer has claimed that Ferrell is a closet case. Whether it's true or not, I have no idea

[quote] "Reddit said Will Ferrell but I think it sounds more like Seth Meyers."

[quote]At least one DLer has claimed that Ferrell is a closet case. Whether it's true or not, I have no idea.

Quinn said the closeted cast member was married and had an elf like quality. I wish he had given us some kind of clue....

Always wondered if Ferrell had a thing with Heder on the shoot for BLADES OF GLORY, or if that was purely the Bit.

Scott Thompson lost me at "queer." Bye, Felicia.

Rollling my eyes at people callling Kate McKinnon a "femme" lesbian. Have you ever seen her in interviews? I love her, but she is no lipstick. She is a straight up bulldagger.

Pre-SNL Kate seemed a bit butchy on Logo's The Big Gay Sketch Show. After SNL, she was dressing a bit more feminine.

Pretty sure Day and Moffat are fucking.

Quinn might as well have said ferrell because those hints couldnt be more obvious "elf" "anchor" ..... come on

Mark McKinney pings my gaydar and he was on SNL for a season.

^^ever see McKinney on KITH?

r219-poor, newbie

r28 = stupid Republican

Lorne is supportive of Julio's career so I don't think he's anti-gay.

Vulture: HBO Orders Spanish-Language Comedy Los Espookys Starring Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega

HBO just ordered a new comedy series “set in a strange and dreamy version of present-day Mexico City,” and it’s got the backing of SNL’s Lorne Michaels and Fred Armisen.

I don't believe that is true because there have been gay men in the cast. Why is the op lying?

"I don't believe that is true because there have been gay men in the cast. Why is the op lying?"

OP is quoting an article, you idiot.

Are you lying because you're stupid? You must be a burden on your family members.

My thoughts and prayers go out to you.

The article isn't correct anyway. Lorne has hired 2 openly gay guys.

in the cast r233? who?

Yes, in the cast, R234. Terry Sweeney and John Milhiser were the two gay male cast members. Danitra Vance and Kate McKinnon are the two gay female cast members.

Wikipedia - Terry Sweeney:

Sweeney is best known for his appearances as a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL) during that program's 1985–86 season. He was discovered by series producer Lorne Michaels while Sweeney was performing in a New York play, Banned in France, in 1983. Sweeney, who is not related to fellow SNL alumna Julia Sweeney, was also a sketch writer for SNL during the early 1980s under producer Jean Doumanian prior to being hired as a member of the cast.

He was SNL's first openly gay male cast member; Sweeney was "out" prior to being hired as a cast member. Sweeney's run on the show came at a time when there were few openly gay characters or actors on television.

John Milhiser - Wikipedia

Milhiser is Saturday Night Live's second openly gay male cast member (after Terry Sweeney);[6] as well as the fourth LGBT cast member overall (along with Danitra Vance and Kate McKinnon).

Alec Baldwin said there have been several gay cast members but they aren't out.

That's four out of over 145 cast members and during the course of four decades.

So I guess will get another one right around the time the polar ice caps melt.