Jerry Houston, a DJ on Hot 99.5 in DC, is rankled by some gay jokes Price is Right model Amber Lancaster (above) recently tweeted. But her comments are hardly Carson Daly-level offenses. We’re not even sure you could really call them jokes—they’re more like observations.
In one instance, Lancaster tweeted that “A gay guy just told me he’s allergic to nuts. #irony”. She later posted that “a gay guy I just met goes to a lesbian butcher to get his meat.”
If Lancaster is prepping some material for a standup act, she might want to go back to the drawing board.
Houston posted the tweets on the 99.5 blog and said “it’s kinda crazy to me that my favorite game show would have a model on the cast that thinks it’s ‘ok’ to make fun at the expense of gays.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Maybe it’s because we’ve seen so much worse, but we don’t really see anything offensive about Lancaster’s tweets. We can’t cry foul every time someone mutters the word “gay.” And besides, this is a woman who makes her living pointing at living room furniture. Cut her a little slack.
Source: Hot 99.5 via Towleroad. Photos via Twitter, Price is Right
Spike
She’s a model on the Price Is Right, who cares, she’s a nobody.
Pete n SFO
I hate those nudgy gays but… she really isn’t even a ‘spokesmodel’ lol. They don’t let them talk on TPIR. 😉
As for her ‘jokes’, they sound more like something an 14 yr old Jr High student would make.
Whatever, girl.
JayKay
Wow, what a load of hypocritical horseshit…
“Maybe it’s because we’ve seen so much worse, but we don’t really see anything offensive about Lancaster’s tweets. We can’t cry foul every time someone mutters the word “gay.””
Please.
If she were a straight man you would be screaming homophobia and demanding he be severely punished for his insensitive bigotry toward the PNQT2IAALNSYNCBSBOTOWNG community.
Wha'ever
Hum, OK… I mean, I don’t see anything really wrong about it – maybe she was trying to be mean-spirited but if that’s the case, she failed. I would probably make this kind of joke myself. We do love nuts, don’t we ?!
Hyhybt
Not offensive.
(But I have to wonder how much searching someone went through to get that *particular* picture.)
jason
Amber Lancaster is a posing shmuck. Maybe she’s got nuts between her legs.
JayKay
When straight men make jokes like this they’re forced to endlessly apologize, kiss GLAAD’s pinkie ring, and offer up their first-born as penance for their ignorant hatred of all things QTNPIAA2LCWBBCMTVG.
But as we’ve seen with the likes of Chelsea Handler, Lisa Lampinelli, and Kathy Griffin, the same gays who cry incessantly any time a straight male makes a gay joke will let women get away with absolutely anything.
FreddyMertz
Is this what NOM was looking for?
DouggSeven
I’ve heard gay comics say more offensive things that this broad or Carson Daily has said.
Mike in Asheville
“Much ado about nothing.”
Charley
How hypersensitive can we get to innocuous unfunny jokes by an obscure “celebrity”?
Me
I think it’s funny… Guess I’m a bad gay.
SearchCz
semi-funny and totally non-offensive. what’s the offensive part?
RichX
We’ve become a people just looking for a reason to be offended, and I’m talking about society at large, and not just the LGBTQ community.
The first comment isn’t brilliant, but it’s the type of observation many of my (less funny) gay friends might have made. And what, exactly, is offensive about the second comment? It’s not funny, but it’s not insulting, either. In her small spokesmodel mind, it was a witty observation.
Oh, and @Pete n SFO: Since Drew Carey started hosting and trying to make it his own show, the girls do have the opportunity to speak more often. Often enough, in fact, that I think they’re mic’ed now.
So… Who’s going to be the first person to tell me how offended they are because I just used the word “girls”?
jason
JayKay,
I’ve also noticed the double standard you mention. Gay men seem to have this strange relationship with women. It’s almost as if gay men don’t want to offend women.
My own view is that there’s an ugly dependency between gay men and women. It’s as if gay men’s rights depend on shout-outs from straight women. If this is the basis for gay men’s rights in America today, then we’ve truly gone to hell in a hand-basket.
Ryan
people really need to calm the f down! SO WHAT she said a gay joke!
I’m gay, and i think the gay community needs to learn to pick their battles.
its good to be critical, but to criticize everything will do nothing but make you old and grey.
jason
Because she’s a stereotypical campy woman, she gets a pass from gay men.
J Stratford
Its actually a good play of words.
It never implied that gays are bad.
It implied:
Gays like “nuts”.
A gay that doesn’t like nuts (the other kind), is a good play of words.
Gays like meating other gays.
Gays meating lesbians is just eeeew!!!!
YOu were supposed to laugh at the play of words not at the gay guy.
J Stratford
Jason, actually women are the biggest supporters of gay rights. Its a fact. Live with it.
Women are the reason why the Democratic party is now gay friendly
Women are the reason why the Universities are now gay friendly
Thanks to women’s support, we have advanced. And they get nothing out of it except friendship because obviously theyre not getting any sex from gays (lesbians maybe)
J Stratford
JayKay. give me ONE example of a straight man who made a joke as inocuous as this (you must tell us the joke) and got clobbered. Just one example please. Otherwise stfu!
Ok, ok
You don’t find this offensive, but you found a commercial that wasn’t remotely offensive upsetting?
I’m really not following the logic here:
http://www.queerty.com/watch-subway-goes-for-the-gay-panic-approach-with-new-pepperoni-ad-20120330/
If you change a few words around and make these “jokes” about any race or ethnicity everyone would be rightfully upset.
Why is it ok for this chick to make fun of gays? You can’t play hot and cold and then cry foul when the “jokes” get worse and stop being “jokes”.
MKisNE
Ah, not the best definition of irony. I guess she wanted to feel smart. I’d have to see more context to tell if she was anti gay or not, if she thought gay people would just laugh at those tweets she’s not. But she easily could be.
Belize
@JayKay: LOL. I’m sure you’d also be longing for GLAAD to have your beard arrested because you are too weak to stand up to her for hurling homophobic slurs at you. #WeUnderstand
Tommyz
Am I the only one who thinks the tweets were funny?
GBro
@8 FTW forever!
Cam
“”Maybe it’s because we’ve seen so much worse, but we don’t really see anything offensive about Lancaster’s tweets. We can’t cry foul every time someone mutters the word “gay.””
_________________________________
Agreed, they just seem like the silly jokes you don’t really laugh at, but maybe crack a smile. I don’t really get why the D.J. is pissed. It’s a play on words, gay guys do like nuts.
And as for Jay Kay, Carson Daily implied that gays were weak cowards, THAT is why he is apologizing. This woman told a joke that played off of what gays like. It is the same as if she said “Gee, I just saw a vegan drinking Beefeater Gin…IRONY”.
Alexa
@Cam: Exactly. Same thing. My ex got teased frequently because she was allergic to fish, and we were never offended by it. She even made the joke herself sometimes. They’re silly jokes that aren’t remotely offensive, except to people who have nothing better to do but get offended at the slightest thing, or who want to get their name out there so people start talking about them. The DJ needs to get his priorities in order and find something real to be offended by.
jason
For goodness sakes, Amber is a model on Price Is Right. It doesn’t exactly say “must have brains” on the job application sheet.
Any woman can get on a stage with her long flowing hair and smile cheesy grins on cue. Brains is obviously not a pre-requisite. Her tweets are symptomatic of the gap between her ears.
Clockwork
Who follows a “Price is Right” model on Twitter?
Jerry Houston expand your limits.
Mike in Asheville
@JayKay: Well I have never witnessed Louis C. K. apologize for any of his many totally about the gays jokes. I laugh at them, like most people who have a sense of humor.
DB25
First, her tweets were not funny at all. Maybe that’s why they bothered me. If you are going to make jokes at the expense of a group, at least MAKE THEM FUNNY! Second, Price is Right has a large gay following, so attacking your viewership is just bad business! I realize humor is subjective, but seriously lady, stick to flipping price tags (and let’s get serious, she isn’t even good at that) Maybe on the bright side, CBS will dump her and replace her with a model that can post funnier tweets.
Frederick
In my personal opinion, what she tweeted wasn’t that big a deal. Actually, her jokes were pretty lame…
Cam
@Clockwork: said…
“Who follows a “Price is Right” model on Twitter?”
_______________
Thank you for picking out the one thing that we all missed! LOL!!!!!!!!!! So true!
Michael
I’m glad most of us can tell the difference between a lame joke that’s not offensive at all versus an athlete calling some kid a f@g. Unfortunately it appears there’s a couple of us who don’t have the brain power to tell otherwise.
Macmantoo
I think we all need to lighten up. I would bet that every one here has told an ethnic joke at some time in his life. I don’t find the joke any where offensive as I found with the one Daley told. Just chill.
alex
Poor thing….Someone needs to tell her she no longer has to bang Bob Barker, he is no longer the host of the show.
(That is how you tell a joke, Amber.)
Roberto
I’m more offended by people who call gay people “queer” and “LGBT” than this.
dsp
Not offended and that show is still on? Really?
bryan
>And besides, this is a woman who makes her living pointing
>at living room furniture. Cut her a little slack.
hahaha.. lost it right there. funny 🙂
Hyhybt
@alex: Hers was funnier. Gay men really do like nuts, but you’re thinking of Dian Parkinson.
kawneekwa
That girl she remind me of Carrie Prejean with clothes on. Oh yes she do.
John C
I find it offensive that people found these jokes offensive.
Come on people, we have real problems out there.
MattS
@FreddyMertz: Good one! LOL
Houston
Well this is certainly interesting! First, let me clear one thing up by stating that I don’t actually follow Amber on Twitter. I found her tweets through another friend’s twitter feed. Regardless, they are there and they are public. I was “rankled” as Queerty likes to opine because it seems too often that people will try to use gays as a reason to make a joke. I’m just kinda tired of it. It’s more bothersome that these jokes aren’t even funny! Queerty making such a big deal out of this makes the entire situation ironic, something that Amber was not able to do with her original tweets. #notirony
I still love The Price is Right though. I just think people should be a little better about their jokes. Hell, at least make them FUNNY if they’re going to be offensive. Daniel Tosh makes a living out of it.
Hyhybt
@Houston: Assuming, for sanity’s sake, that it’s not true that it’s the mere fact that gay was mentioned at all that’s offensive… what DO you find offensive about these tweets?
Houston
@Hyhybt: Thought I made it pretty clear. I was offended by the fact that she tried to make a gay joke and that it failed miserably. She should just move onto new material. Why’s it gotta be a gay joke? That’s my point.
Hyhybt
@Houston: @Houston: No, that’s not the least bit clear. I’m trying to find out *why* you find it offensive. (“Why’s it gotta be a gay joke” isn’t exactly helpful, unless you find every attempted joke making any reference whatsoever to gayness, regardless of content, offensive. Which still wouldn’t answer the “why” question.)
Houston
@Hyhybt: Actually it was quite clear. If you look at my original blog post, I never directly said that I was “offended”. That’s something inferred by the writers of this post because I said “Here are the offending tweets.” To which I then asked “What do you think?” on my blog because I honestly didn’t know if I should find them offensive or not. My use of the word “offending” was intended to describe what many people have found as off-color remarks (as evidenced by other comments on this story). That said, am I offended by her tweets? Yes…because as I’ve said, she should try to make jokes about another social group. Are there bigger problems in this world, oh yes, by far there are. However, every little bit counts. If we overlook a lame gay joke now, that opens the door for jokes in which gays are more than punchlines.
Hyhybt
@Houston: In other words, and ignoring the irrelevant sideline of your 2nd-5th sentences) yes, you do find all jokes that mention “gay” (NOT restricted to those that make fun *of* gay people, for she didn’t do that) offensive, and no, you won’t explain why.
It’s not even remotely an unreasonable question. WHY do you find jokes that reference gay people, even when they are not making fun of gay people or saying anything that could rationally be called derogatory, offensive?
(“If we overlook a lame gay joke now, that opens the door for jokes in which gays are more than punchlines” doesn’t cover it, either. This is not by any reasonable stretch that sort of joke, and you know it isn’t. It’s just a pun on the word “nuts.”)
Houston
@Hyhybt: Wow, you sure are elitist. What makes you such an expert on gay-referencing humor? A quick Google search of your username “hyhybt” turned up memberships at a few game show websites and forums…so it’s pretty clear to me that you’re just arguing for argument’s sake (or perhaps you’re Amber’s agent).
What are you missing here? She DID make fun of gay people (or at the very least, one gay guy in particular…well, she attempted anyway). I don’t appreciate you making the blanket statement that I don’t find jokes that reference gays as always dergoatory. I have never said that nor implied it. Please learn to read and comprehend. Just because YOU don’t understand why it’s not ok to make “gay” people a punchline doesn’t mean that I don’t have the right to call her out on it. Go troll elsewhere, buddy.
Hyhybt
@Houston: If, as you say, you’ve searched my name, you know (or could find out) that I’ve never trolled anywhere, ever.
My reading comprehension is fine also, thanks. If I have misunderstood, it’s because you are intent on going on and on merely repeating rather than explaining. How is what she said “mak[ing] fun of gay people?” Particularly, what makes what she said a bad thing?
I do not argue for argument’s sake. I argue to understand better. You, apparently, find that offensive too and therefore are doing everything you can short of ignoring my posts entirely to avoid giving any true EXPLANATION whatsoever.
Houston
@Hyhybt: OK. Here it is in plain English since you are having trouble understanding me: Amber made fun of a gay man (or gays in general) by saying a gay man being allergic to nuts was ironic (paraphrased, of course, to help explain the context of her Tweet. This is a blanket statement that all gay men must LOVE nuts. In fact, we must roll in nuts all day long. To be allergic to nuts is surely pure hilarity when it comes from a gay man (again, according to Amber on Twitter).
Her other tweet, saying that a gay man buying meat from a lesbian butcher is meant to imply irony by the fact that a gay man shouldn’t be buying meat from a woman who doesn’t like “meat” because, well, she likes other women. Again, Amber claims irony here…when in fact, it’s not ironic at all and could possibly belittle the fact that there are many fine women who work as butchers that may happen to be lesbian.
I can’t believe I’ve had to spell this out for you. It’s all pretty self-explanatory. Also, stop assuming that I’m offended by you or anything you’ve posted. How have I ignored ANY of your posts when I’ve responded to each and every single one? Your posts and arguments make no sense and have made a huge mountain out of a molehill. I’m sure that’s what you were aiming for, so, congratulations for sweeping yet another gay joke under the rug. That’s what society would want you to do anyway.
Hyhybt
@Houston: Progress! (First, though, to spell out something that really *was* clear already: I did not accuse you of ignoring anything, as you can see.)
You explained the purported jokes in much the same way I read them, so we agree up to that point. Progress, of a kind, though yes, that was indeed self-explanatory. That gives me a chance to be clearer about what I’m getting at: why do you interpret the first joke (and I’ll stick with that one, for now) as *making fun of* a gay man? Note that we agree on how the joke works, so explaining that was and remains pointless. There is nothing wrong with liking nuts, and gay men almost do so by definition. There’s nothing negative, derogatory, or insulting involved in any way that I can see by using that fact in a pun. You, quite plainly, *do* see that as negative, and so I ask why. It’s not making fun of someone if there’s not even an implication that the connection is bad.
What I’m aiming for, I said already: understanding. I want, in this thread, to understand better how people see this (as an example) as a slur (or choose whatever other negative word you like there). More generally, I’d like to understand better the frame of mind that seems to seek out any possible excuse to take offense… but that’s a broader goal than this thread is likely to cover, and I’m hoping your answers will show you’re not an example of that. But it depends on the *root* “why,” and so far, that’s unexplained.
Houston
@Hyhybt: You are missing the point entirely. *Never* did I say her tweets contained a “slur” … do not bring that word into this debate as it is not applicable and carries a certain weight that does not fit this discussion.
I do not see liking nuts as a negative, as you’ve just said I “plainly” do. The negative I was pointing out is the fact that she is making a joke utilizing gays as the mechanism. Period. That’s it. Please stop inferring additional meaning. My blog wasn’t that deep. Neither were her tweets. There’s not some hidden agenda here.
Hyhybt
…which is why I specifically said to substitute whatever negative term you like in place of “slur,” since you like to correct every variance I make from your exact words even when there is no difference in meaning. (Meanwhile, direct quoting would not serve to show what I understand you to have said, as paraphrasing does.)
“The negative I was pointing out is the fact that she is making a joke utilizing gays as the mechanism. Period. That’s it.”
—Yes, I got that. Some time ago, though you’ve diverted the conversation by picking at terminology.
The question remains: why? WHY is it automatically a bad thing, regardless of context, ill will, unfair stereotyping, etc to “utilize gays as the mechanism” for a joke?
DB25
Ok, I think this one thing is being way over analyzed, probably by those sent forth by certain individuals that are now being perceived negatively. Bottom line: her tweets were largely unfunny. If someone thought they were funny, they are clearly in the minority. Some may find them offensive – I just thought they were a lame attempt at comedy and were unnecessary. I guess she can tweet whatever she wants and should have to pay the consequences. At the end of the day, she’s a very low level “celebrity” that no one pays attention to in large part – so I’d say this “scandal” is over.
Houston
@Hyhybt: I have never diverted from the conversation, although you would like others to think so. You are projecting new twists in the conversation back to me each time the answer doesn’t fit what you think should be the correct answer.
You’ve now asked a question you haven’t before…why is it always bad to utilize gays as a joke? Did I say it was always bad? Nope. Sure didn’t. It’s subjective to the context. However, it’s bad in this particular context because she is using “gays” as a generalized group and making assumptions that are neither funny or true. She is using the gay stereotype for the sake of being funny…only these tweets were not. If there was some history involved perhaps it could be explained. There is not. It appears to be just a lame attempt at a few laughs using an easy target…and it didn’t even get that. It perpetuates the stereotype that gay jokes are always funny and OK. In this case, again I must reiterate, they aren’t even funny.
Hyhybt
“You’ve now asked a question you haven’t before…why is it always bad to utilize gays as a joke? Did I say it was always bad? Nope. Sure didn’t.”—You gave that as the reason for her joke supposedly being offensive or bad or, again, whatever near-enough-synonym you prefer in this spot. That is the same as claiming that that is, in itself, bad. (Besides, which, it’s *not* unfair or untrue to make the generalization that gays like nuts.)
“Gay men are weak” is a stereotype. “Gay men are promiscuous” is a stereotype. “Gay men like nuts” is, instead, almost definitionally true. It’s tied directly, though not of course perfectly, to what being gay means. Not at all the same thing as if she’d said, for example, “IRONIC: gay man allergic to flowers.”
So: if it’s not, contrary to #54 (“The negative I was pointing out is the fact that she is making a joke utilizing gays as the mechanism, period”) automatically bad to do that, and since there is no negative stereotype involved, much less a false one, why is the joke (funny or not) supposedly offensive?
Houston
@Hyhybt: The only thing offensive now is your ignorance. I can name two gay friends who aren’t so fond of testicles or “nuts”, as you prefer…so your childish argument is invalid. With that, I am done humoring you and defending my blog. I have made it very clear how I feel and if that answer is not satisfactory to you, then I assume you will carry on without whatever satisfaction you were looking for. Please give this kind of energy to something that’s really worth fighting about and less on trying to prove some inane baseless point. I hope someone gives you a hug today.
Hyhybt
@Houston: Not much point in continuing anyway. No surprise, though, that you leave when, after trying for most of the thread to avoid pointing out contradictions in the hope of making progress, I give up and direct quote your saying one thing and denying saying it next post.
Houston
@Hyhybt: You are really a piece of work. I didn’t deny or contradict myself anywhere in these comments. Your claims don’t even make sense and aren’t relevant to the conversation. I’ve asked once and I’ll ask again to please let this go and focus on more important things. I know that might be difficult for you, but please try. For me, although I know you’ll chime in one more time so you can have that all-important “final word.” Good night and God bless.
Hyhybt
Yes, you’re right: I will chime in one more time, because while disagreements are another matter, I cannot let a lie stand.
Post #54: “The negative I was pointing out is the fact that she is making a joke utilizing gays as the mechanism. Period. That’s it.”
Post#57: “Did I say it [‘utiliz[ing] gays as a joke’] was always bad? Nope. Sure didn’t. It’s subjective to the context.”
Direct and undeniable contradiction. Therefore:
Post #61: “I didn’t deny or contradict myself anywhere in these comments” is a lie. And I don’t use that term lightly.
Have a good night.
Houston
@Hyhybt: Sadly, you give me no choice. I will not and cannot allow you to call me a liar. Those two statements (Posts 54 and 57) are not alike and do not say the same thing. I said it was “negative” in Post 54 but NEVER said it was “always” bad. As I even clarified in Post 57, “[utilizing gays is] subjective to the context.” I NEVER said “utilizing gays as a joke is always bad.” You are mixing two separate statements into one quote that simply doesn’t exist.
PLEASE go waste someone else’s time. I’m tired of you trying to vilify me by twisting my words. You have this altered sense of events that are not even remotely close to what’s actually being said. It’s almost like you work for Rick Santorum’s campaign.
Houston
Oh, and before you try to twist my words again (beacuse I realize you are clearly having trouble understanding my posts…and reason) here is further clarification:
I did not say “always bad” within the context of Post 54. I used it within Post 57 when saying that I don’t always think it’s bad.
In other words, I don’t think it’s “always bad”, however it’s all subjective. In this cast, yes, I see it as negative (aka, “bad”).
Hyhybt
Nonsense. If you say that something is, by itself (as you claim by adding “Period.,” etc) sufficient to make something else negative, then you are claiming that something to be bad in and of itself. There is simply no other logical arrangement of those thoughts.
I have never once in this thread (or any other, so far as I know) twisted anything you have said. You, in turn, have (seemingly deliberately) spent a great deal of effort to respond to every post I make without giving a coherent reason for your position, and increasingly making vague attempts at insults along the way, for no good reason whatsoever. I’ve stuck around, not because this is an important matter, but out of curiosity. That seems to be a concept you either don’t understand, or else find as offensive as a pun that happens to include the word “gay.” That’s your problem and nobody else’s.
Houston
@Hyhybt: You are assuming way too much, my friend. I can say whatever I want, just as you can…however, I’m not inferring additional meaning to your statements as you are doing to mine. If I say something by itself, that’s all I mean to say. There is nothing additional, nothing deeper, nothing hidden. It’s plain black & white. You have inferred or tried to find hidden meaning in my posts several times throughout this conversation where it simply doesn’t exist.
Stop trying.
I have had plenty of coherent reasons for each and every one of my statements regardless of your personal opinion. Just because you say so, doesn’t mean it’s true. It’s a tactic that PR folks have long used,…but since you’re assuming I’m uneducated in those methods, you’re merely adding to the immaturity of your debate. Your posts are arrogant and misguided. A combination I find most offensive.
Hyhybt
“You have inferred or tried to find hidden meaning in my posts several times throughout this conversation”
Nope. Not once, ever. Nothing that even could rationally be interpreted in that manner.
“I have had plenty of coherent reasons for each and every one of my statements regardless of your personal opinion.”
I never said you didn’t. Only that you haven’t presented any, which (obviously) is not the same thing.
Nor have I said anything implying you to be uneducated. I don’t know where you got any of these ideas, but it wasn’t from any rational connection to anything I’ve *ever* posted, here or elsewhere.