Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, who just happen to have a new movie coming out, told CNN this week that they wouldn’t get married until their gay costars friends could.
That’s very sweet, dears, but don’t wait on our account. We’re trying to get more people married, not less.
The stars of Hit and Run have been engaged for two years, but Shepard says tying the not when so many can’t is in bad taste. “We’re not going to have a party when half of our friends… can’t do that thing we’re doing. We’re not going to ask them to come celebrate a right they don’t have. That’s just tacky! Forget like anything else, it’s like really tacky for us.”
That’s probably the most genuine explanation we’ve heard from straight folks waiting to make it official—and we’re blown away it came from the guy from Punk’d—but are these two showing true solidarity or jumping on the latest celebrity PR trend? We decided to take a look at other star couples who promised to forgo marriage until gays could tie the knot, and see how they’re doing with that vow.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Note: there were a few names we were surprised didn’t make the list, actually, like Kathy Griffin (who won’t have sex until we can marry), Jennifer Aniston (who apparently won’t have a child till gays can adopt either), Cher (who keeps remarrying until we have full equality) and Queen Latifah (not to infer anything about her sexuality.)
Meet 10 stars avoiding the altar until gays and lesbians can get married. Known other celebrities refusing to exchange vows for our sake? Name names in the comments!
Charlize Theron
Theron, who’s played everything from a lesbian serial killer in Monster to the glam queen in Snow White and the Hutnsman poo-pooed marrying her longtime beau, actor Stuart Townsend. “Right now the institution of marriage feels very one-sided, and I want to live in a country where we all have equal rights,” she said. “I have so many friends who are gays and lesbians who would so badly want to get married, that I wouldn’t be able to sleep with myself.”
Status: Theron and Townsend broke up in 2010, but the stunning blond didn’t let singlehood keep her from having a family: She adopted son Jackson earlier this year.
Natalie Portman
The former child star once told reporters she wasn’t into marriage: “Why are they making rules that say my lover can stay in the United States if they’re foreign or share my health care benefits because I’m straight — but if you’re gay, you can’t have that?”
Status: Portman married her babydaddy Benjamin Millieped in March 2012.
The soulful crooner seems like one of those straight guys who is sooo comfortable with his sexuality he’d cuddle with you as you watch Beaches together for the fourth time. In the winter of 2010, he asked girlfriend Tristan Prettyman to marry him but said they were holding off on sending invitations: “The wedding would be nice for our family, our friends, our community—our moms especially— [but] we can’t get married until marriage is legal and equal.”
Status: Mraz and Prettyman broke up in 2011. Hope we didn’t have anything to do with it!
Howard Stern
After divorcing his long-suffering first wife, Alison, shock jock Howard Stern swore off commitment. But when leggy blond Beth Ostrosky walked into his life, he opened his heart. Still, in 2007 the King of All media swore he wouldn’t wed “unless gays can get married.”
Status: Well, she goes by Beth Stern, now, so you do the math.
An international superstar, Martin could jet off to any number of countries where marriage equality was legal to marry his honey, economist Carlos González Abella. But the Latino singer said he was waiting until gay marriage is legal in Puerto Rico: “Unfortunately, we don’t have the option of marriage in our country. We could go to Britain or Spain or Argentina and do something symbolic, but that’s not what I want. I want to have the rights of anybody else in my home country. I don’t want to be a second-class citizen.”
Status: Martin and Abella got Spanish citizenship in 2011—prompting some to think they would marry there. But in January 2012, they tied the knot in New York City. At the time Martin said he was primarily concerned with securing the welfare of his twin boys, Matteo and Valentino.
Jodie Sweetin
First the Full House star gained notoriety for her drug habit, but last year she made a stand for same-sex marriage when she got engaged. “We are in no hurry as far as dates or anything like that,” she told the press. “We want to wait until there’s equality for everybody to get married.”
Status: There ain’t no ring on Stephanie Tanner’s finger.
Brangelina have been eschewing marriage since they first hooked up in 2005: “To be in love with someone and be raising a family with someone and want to make that commitment and not be able to is ludicrous. Just ludicrous,” Pitt said.
Status:Brad and Angie got engaged! “We made this declaration some time ago that we weren’t going to do it till everyone can. But I don’t think we’ll be able to hold out. It means so much to my kids, and they ask a lot [about it]. And it means something to me, too, to make that kind of commitment.”
The Moneyball star says he still hopes marriage equality will become the law of the land before he takes his bride.
Photos: Steve Jurveston, Touchstone Pictures
Avenger
Tacky. Just the thought of someone hindering themselves for someone else is laughable to me. These phony baloney celebrities are simply using this gay marriage shit as a way to procrastinate because they’re in no hurry themselves. They think it’s making them look earnest and sincere, but they actually look like tools.
Tracy
?? TROLL ALERT ??
>DON’T FEED THE TROLL<
ynottonycom
I’m right there with ya “Celebs.” I want to marry my MAN! – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p1thE_LoGg
streeteditions
I’m just not the marrying kind. But why not wait for the end of homeless LGBTQ youth, the end of AIDS, the end of hunger?
LadyL
I don’t want to be a total cynic about this. Celebrity being what it is, some of this might well be bandwagon-jumping, but I think many of these famous folks feel a genuine sense of, if not solidarity, empathy, at least, for their LGBT colleagues, family members and friends. Even if they don’t keep their promises to wait.
DragonScorpion
I commend those who, out of principle would hold out on marriage until marriage equality for same-sex couples was a reality in their home country… All of it. But I do note that many of those who have made such pronouncements, they have changed their mind. I hate to be overly cynical but I suspect many of these celebrities thought that in a fairly short period of time it would be legal and they could carry on as planned. It seems there are few, celebrities anyway, who are truly dedicated to forgoing marriage until it is legal for all of us.
Raziel Kainne
I know it’s a popular rage right now to dumb down the English language (at least in America) with a glaring lack of editorial proofreading but please, can we try harder here on Queerty to maintain some kind of higher standards than the dullard-driven popular media? there is already a large number of spelling mistakes (do you guys have some form of spell-check?)on this site that are noticed by many but can keep up the use of basic grammar?
“That’s very sweet, dears, but don’t wait on our account. We’re trying to get more people married, not LESS.” really, Dan Avery? i like your writing style but the word to use is “fewer” not “less.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I sound picky and yes, we all make mistakes, I know and I appreciate the quality of the news and features on Queerty is good but I had to vent.
In all other respects, keep up the good work, Dan.
brokeback gypsy
@Raziel Kainne:
i refuse to use proper english until there is equal education for ALL!
Freddie27
“Not to IMPLY anything about her sexuality”