We just got through giving Rashida Jones some props for keeping it real during a recent interview for Celeste and Jesse Forever and then she went into Hollywood spin mode.
Talking to SpinningPlatters.com about Frank Ocean and the power of famous people coming out, Jones said:
“A movie star [needs to come out]. Like John Travolta? Come out! Come on. How many masseurs have to come forward? Let’s do this.”
But this week Jones took to her Twitter and backed away from her previous statement: “Made a thoughtless comment about John Travolta. I sincerely apologize. Nobody’s personal life is my business.”
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It kind of seems like maybe Jones was told to apologize, since in her Platters interview she said, “I’m 36, I’ve lived the life that I’ve lived, I have the opinions that I have, and I don’t really back down from that.”
Of course, she also said “I struggle every time I tweet,” so who knows what’s going on.
Photo: Thomas Crenshaw
dvlaries
I saw this last night on yahoo news, and immediately thought “his lawyers, or some thugs from Church of Scientology threatened her….”
Bob
More likely it was because accusing someone of being gay is still considered a vicious slur in most circles.
Skeloric
It seems more like she was threatened somehow. Travolta is part of Scientology, right? We also know that Scientology bankrolls their own personal private army with the sole purpose of threatening those who try to spread the truth about Scientology. So, Travolta just had them do a little extra-curricular threatening.
Cam
She didn’t say he was straight. She said, his personal life is none of her business.
Apparently she was ordered to apologize, not retract. lol
Avenger
She had no business making that comment in the first place. I hope whoever threatened her put the fear of God in her when they did it.
Mind your business Quincy Jones’ daughter.
Kim
@Avenger: But its Ok to tell Bomer or Anderson to come out, right?
Papi Balenciaga
@Kim: No.
LadyL
@Avenger: Oh, come now. Just because Travolta can’t deal with himself doesn’t mean everyone else is obligated to carry his water. IMHO, she had nothing to apologize for and Travolta should man up.
compuable
Rashida Jones publicly urges John Travolta to come out of the closet. Perhaps that headline and story should (more accurately) actually read this way:
“Rashida Jones, star of “The Office” and the upcoming film “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” in an effort to promote herself and the film within the social media circles and thus increase her somewhat remote fame (in comparison) relays unproven, unsubstantiated rumors of an accusation against John Travolta, who denies the accusers charges.”
Astronaut Sally Ride’s post-mortem tribute to the fact that she was survived (we found out afterwards, of course) by Tam O’Shaugnessy, her partner of 27 years as well as having been previously married to a male astronaut for five years; should be proof positive that whether (or not) someone is actually either privately gay or lesbian or bi-sexual or trans and does not wish to currently reveal this – it is none of anybody’s g-damn business. Period.
It’s true that John Travolta is a public figure and all; but who benefits from libelously (and publicly) humiliating some one else like that – especially when these thus far entirely ‘unsubstantiated’ claims are also criminal charges?
And everyone (including celebs) who actually are or ‘are not’ so; should have their right to their dignity as well as privacy with regards to this matter; instead of being hounded and witch-hunted by the likes of washed-up dried-out windbags such as Joan Rivers and Carrie Fisher and now faux-ingénue Rashida Jones – or any other ‘impending’ clueless, rumor mongering and truly classless, voluntarily hypocritical headline grabbers.
LadyL
@compuable: Oh, please–“unproven, unsubstantiated rumors??” Have you not seen the photo of Travolta on the airplane steps seriously smooching with another man? And Fisher was NOT “hounding” or “witch-hunting”–she merely shrugged and remarked that everyone knew about John, had known for years, and it was a shame that he couldn’t seem to find a way come to terms with himself. She was actually being sympathetic.
*
She was also being honest–which seems to be your problem with her comments–and what exactly is so awful about that? Why is open discussion about someone being gay tantamount to “humiliation”? It’s so self-loathing to see it that way, as though you’re buying into to other people’s bigotry.
*
The whole “privacy” argument is ethically bankrupt. There’s nothing remotely “private” about being heterosexual; so why should it be different for LGBT people? When we discuss JT and other closet cases like him, we’re not talking privacy but secrecy– a very different reality.
And just because Travolta and his lawyers deny the accusations against him doesn’t mean they aren’t true. I couldn’t say for certain what motivates his accusers–maybe it’s a payday, or–here’s something–maybe non-celebrities are getting fed up with being groped and harassed by rich, middle-aged Hollywood closet cases who’ve grown used to getting away with bad behavior. Travolta obviously believes (and granted, he’s not alone in this) that because he’s been victimized by the rules laid out long ago for gay celebs that he’s entitled to victimize others, especially if they’re not rich, not famous, and not likely to fight back, or be believed if they do.
*
So there’s the answer to your question as to who “benefits” by publicaly calling out John Travolta and others like him: all the rest of us do. Ordinary people who shouldn’t have to put up with some celebrity’s closet issues.
Geri
@compuable: Please. The word is bisexual. There is no hyphen in it.
Mason
These stupid closet lesbians should mind their own business!
hamoboy
@Avenger: What does her father being Quincy Jones have to do with anything?
GeriHew
@hamoboy: Some snipe about her being biracial (black & Jewish) maybe?
I don’t think she actually said Travolta should come out as gay did she? She just said he should come out,I think.
hamoboy
She has to apologize because she’s not a big star… Yet! Give it a few more years of good roles and she could write Grease fanfiction with Travolta’s character being cornholed by the entire high school without anyone batting an eyelash.
Ms Monaco
Look, Travolta has had the opportunity, for decades, to come out as gay and say ‘so what’. He’s certainly old and rich enough now to do it without the need to worry about a reduction in income. He’s already got tens of millions.
Instead he chooses to live a lie, bought a fake ‘wife’ and kids, and threatens law suits on anyone who mentions his true sexuality. He also chose to join a homophobic weirdo cult, and has stayed in it for years.
The man is a deeply unpleasant hypocrite and a liar, no matter what his massive PR machine pumps out about him.
With all the guys coming out of the woodwork now to tell all about their encounters with him, and showbiz colleagues casually saying that everyone who has worked with him has known he was gay, what’s the point of his continuing to claim everyone else but him is a liar?
Guys like him could have done wonders for the cause of gay people, brought it into the mainstream, had people accept that a gay actor can play straight roles in movies because he’s an ACTOR.
I remember when David Hyde-Pearce (Niles in Frasier) ‘came out’ and I was surprised that anyone had even considered he was straight! I assumed he was gay all along, but the guy is a good actor in a role and I totally accepted that his screen character was camp and wimpy and straight! It’s called acting.
No-one expects that someone playing a bad guy or murderer in a movie has to be one in real life or they are not believable!
John, come out. Come out now. Stop making yourself look so ridiculous and furthering homophobia by implying there’s something wrong with being gay. No-one respects that.
GeriHew
@Ms Monaco: RE: “Look, Travolta has had the opportunity, for decades, to come out as gay and say ‘so what’.
What would be the point of him coming out as gay if he doesn’t identify as gay? What if he considers himself to be a bit bisexual, only wants serious relationships with women, and thinks of sex with guys as just a bit of fun?
Even if some of the Travolta gay sex rumours are true that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s gay. And if you don’t understand that then as far as I’m concerned your opinions on the matter is virtually worthless.