Even Amy Poehler Doesn’t Know Why SNL Lacks Gays
“That’s a really good question, but I don’t know. Someone should pick that up as a thesis at Hampshire College.” —Amy Poehler, on why there haven’t been more openly gay cast members on Saturday Night Live. (There has only been one: Terry Sweeney. He lasted just one season, 1985-86.)
As for Amy’s husband and Queerty crush Will Arnett: “He was really a man among a lot of boys. He’s also so in love with his gay fan base. Will would love nothing more than to wake up in the morning, step outside, and wave at his gay fan base — and since we live in New York’s West Village, we can both do that.”
[Advocate]
@dgz:
So is the stereotype gone? The stereotype has always been that lesbians(feminists) have no sense of humor.
Will Arnett is dreamy.
Jon Lovitz?
@Ted C.: and funny! what a combo
They should fix this, pronto. The only SNL episode I’ve paid attention to over the past year, never mind watch, was the one NPH was on… he was amazing.
SNL doesn’t lack for gay jokes, but more often than not they completely flop – sometimes dangerously so. SNL needs a good, smart gay who gets that it’s a-okay to do gay jokes… but ones where you laugh with the gay audience, not at it. That’s something NPH got/gets and probably reflects why that episode was so amazing.
As an aside, I miss Tina Fey. You can pretty much tie when I stopped watching SNL to when Tina Fey left the show. It may give or take a few months, but that’s pretty accurate.
@Brianna:
no, that stereotype (unfortunately) still exists, with one caveat: comedians/comediennes. queerty even wrote a story on that a while back, i think.
Does “The Ambiguously Gay Duo” count?
@PJ: Nope. Steve Carrell and Steven Colbert “play at gay.”
Tina Fey is so fucking OVERRATED. I don’t miss her on SNL AT ALL.
Amy Poehler has always been the funny one. If she left i’d stop watching all together. Her hubby Will Arnett is HOT, but she could have saved that last bit about waking up in the west village and waving to his gays.