Anyone who’s ever stood within a five-foot radius of actor/director Peter Berg is sure to experience that head-swimmy, hair-standing-on-end sensation you get when you’re standing too close to a certified Creepo. (Even by Hollywood’s standards, he’s one eerie dude.)
Not like you have to take our word for it. Earlier today, the developer of Friday Night Lights attempted to trip up Caitlyn Jenner in the middle of her victory lap, on the heels of last night’s historic acceptance speech at the ESPYs.
As Defamer’s Rich Juzwiak reports, Peter Berg posted an atrocious meme on Instagram that juxtaposes Jenner alongside a picture of double amputee war veteran Gregory D. Gadson, with the caption: “One man traded 2 legs for the freedom of the other to trade 2 balls for 2 boobs. Guess which man made the cover of Vanity Fair, was praised for his courage by President Obama and is to be honored with the ‘Arthur Ashe Courage Award’ by ESPN?”
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The sentiment immediately calls to mind Jenner’s speech from last night: “If you want to call me names, I can take it.”
Needless to say, plenty of people were quick to voice their outrage at Berg’s idiot sentiment:
You think that 40% trans suicide rate is nuts until you put someone trans on national TV for ten minutes and see how people react.
— Craig Jenkins (@CraigSJ) July 16, 2015
Really, the whole thing is so grotesque, we worry we’re making matters worse by calling attention to it. Is it better to point out the offensive, mediocre thinking patterns of mediocre Hollywood talents –– like that time Adam Baldwin got very, berry angry at SCOTUS –– or wiser to ignore these negative-attention queens until they go away?
UPDATE:
Following an intense backlash from the civilized world, Berg posted a quasi-apologetic note via his Instagram account.
h/t: Defamer
Donald Martin
Total dick. Man, bite me.
Mike Benevenstanciano
I look forward to his next movie with Kirk Cameron
Ralph Vendegna
What a dickhead.
Daniel Youngs
Being full of hate like this guy has to eat away at you on the inside. You get one go around at life, why spend it full of hate for others or yourself? I’ll never get it.
Ladbrook
Guys like this usually end up in jail later for smoking crack or for beating up a hooker after refusing to pay for his/her services.* Clearly, he has issues. I suspect we’ll hear about them soon enough.
*(See: Limbaugh, Rush; or Haggard, Ted.)
Daniel Gonzalez
So bummed by this guys statements and bs “apology”.. One of my favorite shows was and is Friday Night Lights.. Sad I never knew til now how obtuse this man is… As far as his apology goes, that IG message should be removed.. How can he claim to respect Caitlyn when his initial post was so crass and yet there it remains for the world to see? #lovewins
Desert Boy
Peter Berg is a bigot.
Windham Eye
Why is it that so many people judge others courage? It takes a very brave person to live true, to be who they are. No need to be mean if you are narrow mindedð???
Scott Moninger
Friday night lights is hands down the greatest television series of all time, but this is definitely disheartening. Hopefully the world is changing, quickly, and these feelings will change as well.
jantheman4903
am a brother of a vet who is an amputee…and my dad lost most hearing in korea. AND i love in general what Ms Jenner is doing. I do wonder if she was the correct choice for that award right now? perhaps next time when she has more advocacy to speak of. I dont find fault with anything she said..and she was AWARDED this not asked for it..but if i had to choose, maybe there were others. or there could be another award. obviously am conflicted. help me out? nicely?
Atrius
I didn’t realize this was some kind of fucking competition.
polarisfashion
@aliengod: Transgender people are not freakshows, its disgusting that some people think of them like that! I hope that Caitlyn’s journey can provide much needed hope to trans people everywhere. Idiots like Peter Berg shouldn’t even be taken seriously but sadly they are and they feed the hate that bigots love to hear.
Bob LaBlah
It’s amazing what a difference a year makes. Last year they came out of the woodwork like termites on steroids to attack Michael Sams but the big named, Jesus screaming anchors of ESPN this time around seem to be………….never mind.
Finrod
The Arthur Ashe Award exists because Mr. Ashe broke the color barrier in tennis, so Caitlyn Jenner is an absolutely appropriate recipient. Peter Berg is just an angry dude looking for a fight. And then running away squealing when he gets one.
Ladbrook
@Finrod: True, but that wasn’t all he did, and it wasn’t the only reason the award is given. Ashe died of HIV related causes, but he was very open about his illness and his fight for more research and drugs. At that time, it was a very brave act to acknowledge one’s status. In addition, he was also very outspoken about apartheid in South Africa, which rattled a lot of the white-sweater-and-raybans tennis crowd, as I recall.
Samuel Kincaid
Asshole
MarionPaige
God Forbid I should get in the way of The Gays seizing yet another opportunity to shit on someone’s career but ….
That amputee looks to me like the guy who appeared in Berg’s Battleship . Battleship is essentially a brilliant homage to World War II vets packaged / disguised as an alien invasion shut-em up for the kiddies.
Berg followed up his homage to World War II vets with Lone Survivor; essentially a homage to military culture.
I agree that someone who lost both legs to one of America’s wars is more of a hero that some 65 year old man who decided to spend 10 hours in surgery to get his face feminized.
Xzamilio
Atticus Bennett, where you at?? DRAG this fool!!!
George Arroyo
Who?
Willie Ramos
Let’s not give him publicity
odawg
@MarionPaige: it sounds like you and Berg could be bosom buddies.
Cam
I love how right wing bigots always invent outrage, that doing one thing means you can’t do another.
For example, if anybody from ANY group that they hate gets any kind of recognition, they will pretend that anything given to them is somehow stealing it from another group.
i.e. The reason that Vets don’t get enough attention is because Caitlen Jenner is getting some attention.
Here is an idea for Berg, if he really wants to pretend he gives a shit about Vets, how about he stops donating money to GOP politicians who want to send troops to war, but won’t vote for any benefits for Vets. How about that Berg, you douchbag?
Wayne Debus
Fucking muppet.
Matthew Farris
I was on a plane with him once and heard someone complain about him when we landed. Didn’t seem to be a nice person.
Joe T
I agree that Peter didn’t try to make his point very eloquently. In fact, he failed miserably. However, his point is valid, and he’s entitled to his opinion. It’s just the way he went about it that was so horribly wrong.
Billy Budd
His statement gave the clear impression that he is transphobic. Clearly it did.
jwtraveler
@Finrod: No disrespect for Arthur Ashe, but Althea Gibson broke the so-called “color barrier” in tennis, winning the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open 11 years before Ashe won the first of his 3 Grand Slam titles.
You made the unfortunate, but all-too-common, error of ignoring the accomplishments of women while showing respect for the accomplishment of a man.
Kevin J Desmond
Peter Berg …. is he somebody special ?
gaym50ish
That figure of 22 veteran suicides per day is misleading, because it implies that an inordinate number of vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have killed themselves. The fact is, 69 percent, or 15 out of the 22, are over 50 years old. Most are not veterans of the Middle East wars, and in fact many are veterans of Vietnam. Because there are so many years when we had the draft, an overwhelming majority of veterans are old, and they served before the post-9/11 era.
The overall U.S. suicide rate is about 105 per day, so the 7 per day who are vets and are the right age to have served in the Middle East are pretty representative of ALL suicides in their age group. That is not to say we shouldn’t do more to support soldiers with PTSD and depression, because of course we should. But let’s not pretend that their suicide problem is greater than that of any other group — what about gay teens?
For the most part, veterans kill themselves for the same reasons that civilians kill themselves.
Steve Grigg
Who is he?
lykeitiz
Yes, and many big named actors have traded in their balls to be in his boob movies that they’d like to erase from their resume’s.
Saint Law
Oh aliengunts’s post was redacted. Those are always his best ones.
Saint Law
It’s incredible that the bloke responsible for the brilliant ‘Friday Night Lights’ could come out with such shite.
Cocaine is a helluva drug.
Saint Law
@MarionPaige: Your whole ‘I’m a relevant commentator on popular culture in my head’ shtick is cute.
Never change y’hear?
jwtraveler
So what do we learn from this? That someone can be a talented TV/film director AND an ass.
Why is that such a surprise? Consider:
D.W. Griffith–Pioneering film director and r@cist
Leni Riefenstahl–Brilliant filmmaker and Nazi
Woody Allen–Brilliant filmmaker and pedophile
Bill Cosby–Beloved actor/comedian and serial rapist
OJ Simpson–Outstanding football player and wife-beater/murderer
Ben Carson–World-renowned neurosurgeon and homophobic whackjob
Clearly there is no relation between professional talent and a moral compass or ethical behavior.
jwtraveler
@Cam: Interesting to note that Caitlyn Jenner said in her TV interview that she’s a conservative Republican, which probably means that she agrees with Peter Berg on most issues, except, that is, the one that affects her. Typical Republican hypocrisy.
Ron Parsons
Bigoted or not, he had a valid point about the neglect of servicemen.
Stefano
@jwtraveler: “Clearly there is no relation between professional talent and a moral compass or ethical behavior.” Absolutely !
Sometimes people who are successful are so “intoxicate” by their “power” that it seems they think they can do and say everything they want. That is why we must not be swayed by the statements of those people. It is only their personal beliefs atfer all and not the truth. And that is why it is also important to continue questioning our own beliefs too. Beliefs are firmly “fixed” in our minds and it is hard to get rid of them.
Robin Mckennon
Moronic asshole!
Robin Mckennon
People who lack compassion for any living being completely and totally SUCK at life!
Robin Mckennon
Wonder why some people protest so much!
Timothy Warner
Jerky Bastard.
Gavin Fitch
He can bring attention to our military heroes without tearing down other heroes.
tsginamarieva
Thank you, Mr. Berg, for making clear your contempt for LGBT Americans and the unique challenges and obstacles they have to overcome in order live their lives as they wish (Thomas Jefferson referred to that sort of endeavor as “pursuing happiness,” in a missive that became rather prominent in America’s formative history). Seeing the utter disrespect you displayed toward Caitlyn Jenner as she accepted the Arthur Ashe Award motivates me to make a concerted effort to personally boycott any cinematic or theatrical with which you become involved. Whenever the occasion arises, I will make every effort to let anyone who may be interested know that you are a homophobe and a bigot undeserving of LGBT commerce.
Ian Simpson
But veterans aren’t being bullied to death by people that hate them. Very misguided by him to even compare the 2.
chally
Perhaps Mr. Berg could also pay attention to his words. Why is he so concerned with our “principals”? Why are the people who run high schools so important here? Or perhaps he meant “principles”?
James V Carroll
He childishly and falsely compares two issues. It’s not necessary for one to compete with another. Both figures can help people. Just look at all the hate speech that his words have needlessly facilitated. The one person in this controversy who doesn’t deserve an acknowledgement of courage is Berg. (The guy who brought us suck classics as Battleship the movie)
Jose Irwin
53 years old and he still behaving like a disrespectful stupid idiot.
erasure25
He showed his true colors. He obviously hates trans people and does not respect Caitlyn despite his “apology.” It was insincere and just to cover his bigoted remarks. Such a liar and waste of oxygen.
Sean Shafer
Oh wait, he directed that masterpiece “Battleship”. Nothing like a crappy movie based on a board game to help the lives of others.
Will Glitzern
He’s probably just mad because he had three strikes at the box office and now he can’t get a directing job. And you gotta love Queerty for calling him “creepy!”
balddude13
@Peter Berg
It’s ironic you know, that Caitlyn Jenner has more balls than you would ever think of having. Caitlyn made it clear that she could care less what people think about her but the reason why she walked on stage was to make clear that many transgender people, especially the younger ones, are killing themselves because they don’t get the respect and acceptance that they should. What you said about Caitlyn Jenner is cruel and harmful.By the way, show more respect towards the mentally and physically wounded vets. Oh… my partner is an Army soldier who has fought and killed and has gotten wounded for his country and he is still serving. He has balls…and he’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.
Cesar Fortun
Caitlyn again….
jwtraveler
@balddude13: Fighting and risking your life for a country that has given you no respect? Sounds pretty foolish to me. And what did the people he killed do to deserve it, except being as foolish as your partner is in fighting for a government that probably has no respect for them?
Members of the military are not my heroes. That said, the country that has duped them into risking their lives for dubious, contrived and self-defeating goals and that claims to honor their sacrifice owes them a lot more than they’ve gotten, especially in the area of mental health care.
My greatest hope is that the poor, ignorant and powerless who make sacrifices for their “countries” will one day wake up and realize that they are nothing more than pawns in the battles for wealth and power between corrupt leaders who care absolutely nothing about these hapless dupes they call “heroes”.
balddude13
@jwtraveler
I’m glad you got that off of your chest. You are certainly entitled to your opinion. That’s what we get for being Americans. I can’t change things. My partner went in already as a Gay American but with a sense of duty which was over twenty years ago. That was way before I met him. My partner was not poor, ignorant or powerless. He made his own decision. No matter what your stance is on war and government people will continue to enlist in the military, gay and straight. My reply was a rebuttal to Peter Berg’s ignorant and transphobic remarks toward Caitlyn Jenner. Stay on the subject next time.
JB
Principals? Why would our military sacrifice themselves only for our principals. Which principals–high school, middle school, or elementary school? And what about our vice-principals and assistant principals? And why not our deans and provosts as well?
balddude13
@MarionPaige
Why then are you on Queerty? Don’t you realize that you’re outnumbered, you numb skull! Go on and continue supporting Peter Berg’s insipid films. And if Peter Berg wanted to honor the surviving vets of wars past, then he should made a film about them solely.
jason smeds
The idea that Bruce Jenner is a woman simply because he feels he’s a woman is ridiculous. It’s his opinion, and not an objective fact. Many women object to the idea that being a woman is simply about feelings. These women have a right to resent Bruce.
Bruce has the right to call himself Caitlyn if he wishes, to dress any way he pleases…but he does NOT have the right to expect other people to refer to him as a woman.
NSB2244
Who the f&^K is he to question what bravery is?..we see different kinds of bravery every single day from people that come from all walks of life..not everyone wears a uniform but these people wage a war daily against man’s inhumanity and cruelty and try to make a life for themselves..this was a sports awards show and they chose to present an award to a sport figure who achieved greatness..what the F*^K has Berg achieved?..he not worthy enough to kiss Jenner’s feet much less pass judgement on him!
balddude13
@jason smeds
I suggest that you do some research on transgenderism to fully understand what it’s about. You have no idea what a transgender experiences. It’s not about wanting to dress like a woman or be addressed as a woman. Do you yourself have any gender issue or at least LGBT? Or are you one of those trolls that love to ambush LGBT blogs with your ignorant and bigoted opinions? Do us a favor and stay the fuck away from Queerty.