Alec Baldwin tried to laugh off the controversy surrounding homophobic comments he made last week by publicly declaring his love for another man at a tech conference in San Francisco.
According to a report by the Associated Press, Baldwin asked a member of his entourage to stand up, then he said, jokingly:
“I want you to be my lover, Matt. I love you, Matt. I love you in that way.”
A straight man pretending to be gay? Hilarious!
The audience reportedly thought so. After they had finished laughing, Baldwin said something about loving certain men more than women during his life. Although, he was careful to note, “never in a sexual way.”
Thanks for clarifying, Alec.
Then he went back to playing the victim again, a role he’s grown quite good at over the past week. Reflecting on the public’s response to last week’s video, the Associated Press quotes Baldwin as saying:
“There is a drive-by justice to the Internet society. They indict you, convict you and hang you on the same day.”
The 55-year-old actor/suspended MSNBC host seems to forget that he has an ongoing history of making antigay comments. In June of this year, he called a British reporter a “toxic little queen.” Reports of him using other homophobic epithets have followed him for years.
Perhaps this isn’t “drive-by justice,” as he purports. Perhaps people are just finally holding him accountable for being a longtime homophobe.
EdgarCarpenter
Alec Baldwin has supported LGBT rights in many venues for many years; he started speaking out for LGBT equality long before it became popular – long before some Queerty readers were old enough to read, in fact.
So yes, he uses obsolete swear words when he loses his temper. And yes, he needs to work on that. But I and a lot of other LGBT people will continue to support Baldwin because he has spent a lot of time and personal effort supporting *us* – nobody forced him to do that, nobody expected him to do that, he’s just done it because he thinks it’s right.
Kieran
I remember watching Alec Baldwin do his gay Boy Scout leader routine on Saturday Night Live in the 1980s. Alec would portray (in a humorous way ofcourse) a gay Scoutmaster lusting after little boys at camp. The message was clear to anybody paying attention. Gay men are objects of ridicule and creepy pedophiles who shouldn’t be trusted around children. I wish I could say Alec Baldwin and Saturday Night Live have grown up since the 1980s. Sadly, their brand of homophobic humor is still very much with us. The hate goes on.
Elloreigh
Message to Alec: Enough already. There are two things you need to do immediately: 1) Grow up. 2) Shut up. You’re ‘damage control’ is just damaging your reputation further.
Kieran
Here’s noted homophobe Ann Coulter in her column today rushing to the defense of fellow homophobe Alec Baldwin:
“What are conservatives doing demanding Baldwin’s head for calling some pestilential paparazzi a “c*ck-s*cking little f*g.” It is perfectly obvious Baldwin was just cursing the guy out with whatever bad words popped into his head, not engaging in “homophobia” against an actual gay person.”
When you’ve got Ann Coulter singing your praises you know something’s seriously wrong.
EdgarCarpenter
@Kieran – guilt by (one-way) association? Really? Baldwin’s politics and Baldwin’s decades-long support of LGBT equality is in no way like Coulter’s activities.
This kind of “she defends his actions in this one instance so he’s as bad as she is in everything” fake argument is most used by rabid conservatives and religious fundamentalists – it’s sad to see it here.
AuntieChrist
Alexis Bald-Win. Your Freudian slip is showing. She is soooo last week. BORED NOW.
viveutvivas
Alec Baldwin supported gay rights while the writer of this article was likely still in diapers, so just take a deep breath and shut up with your witch hunt hysterics.
Mr. E. Jones
Can all you posters claiming Baldwin supported equality for years provide evidence? Howabout some links to articles proving this?
BJ McFrisky
Let’s face it: Alec Baldwin is an angry man who has a very limited vocabulary. And it’s nice to think he might go away because of this, but he’s way too much of an attention whore who’s addicted to being in the public eye—for better or worse.
BrandoPolo
He supported gay rights how? when? where? This guy is the second-coming of Madonna since when?
jckfmsincty
I guess he’s just not very bright.
Bumper
He may blooper time to time, but he is on our side. Let it go. We need his money for our movement. All is forgiven. Who isn’t quirky and human?
DShucking
I don’t mind the bad words from him as much as someone like Eminem or the countless others who say it all the time. He’s supportive of gay rights and he’s no homophobe. What I dislike the most is the lack of accountability he demonstrates by lying about it and then patronizing us by trotting out that gay hairdresser…..to whom he pays money for services. I also don’t appreciate that the media does not hold him to account because he is a super-liberal.