I get a variety of reactions from the gay community, verging on zero reaction. I’ve never even been invited to the GLAAD awards, to sit in the audience. I don’t necessarily care, and I’m sure they will one day and it will be fine, but I’ve never been invited to anything like that…There’s still a lack of awareness about the show in certain mainstream circles, and outside of the independently, culturally minded urban gay man, the general gay population is out there watching Bravo, and I’m not on Bravo. I’m actually in the comedy community much more than I am in the gay community at this point in terms of my public persona — I don’t mean in my personal life. And I think the comedy community is largely a heterosexual community, although it’s getting a little bit more gay. The Will Ferrells, the Adam McKays, the Conan O’Briens, the Jimmy Fallons of the world have been much quicker to embrace me. Other than Andy Cohen, who was a friend of mine going back a few years. Logo saw my live shows for years before I got Billy on the Street and never wanted to do anything with me other than maybe write on one of their shows, but they did not want me on-camera.“— Comic Billy Eichner, hilariously deranged host of Billy on the Street and costar of Parks and Recreation answering a question about why he doesn’t yet have a GLAAD award in an interview with Vulture
UPDATE:
The folks at GLAAD read about Billy’s dismay at not being invited to their awards and remedied the situation with a tweet:
@billyeichner You free May 3rd? We want to see you at the #glaadawards! Send us a DM!
— GLAAD (@glaad) April 18, 2014
Cy
I guess in order to be appreciated by the gay community he might, oh, I don’t know, maybe DO something for the gay community to earn that appreciation.
Jake357
Who?
UWSguy
maybe he hasn’t heard anything because who really cares. He’s unfunny and overrated and just another attention whore. I wish he’d just go away.
argyleargyle
I would appreciate him if he weren’t so irritating. He’s easily the worst part of Parks & Rec. Sorry, Billy, if some people don’t find over-the-top screaming at people and making silly faces funny. (And I don’t even watch Bravo!)
Cam
Is he gay?
Ridpathos
I don’t watch TV.
kevininbuffalo
Never heard of him and I don’t care at all. Just clicked on it out of curiosity. I don’t think I’ve watched 10 minutes of Bravo in my life and I find the current crop of “comedians” painfully unfunny. That includes Kathy Griffin. There’s a reason she’s on the D list. Most TV aimed at Gays sucks. Yes I’m talking to you Logo and RuPaul. Believe it or not, not all gay men are raging queens.
Thanks, I feel better.
litper
Isn’t she “straight”?
KiDAciDic
Sure…I guess… I mean if you consider Tom Green underrated by the straight community.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Never really thought about him but after reading this I’ve just watched a ton of his shit on youtube and, yup, funny. And if I can descend into the gutter for a moment: campy guys (god bless them) can’t usually get it BUT dude has got a weird almost physical menace about him that cancels that out and makes him quite sexy. Plus I’ve just watched his Joan Rivers bed interview where he’s got his big manly besocked feets out!
In short: I would
mada
I only know him from “Billy on the Street” – as I do not watch much TV either. In any case, I do find him incredibly funny, but I guess I seem alone in that opinion. My perception of his humor is that it’s exaggerated bordering on preposterous… (which admittedly, can be polarizing and jarring). As for the “zero awareness from gays” statement, I don’t feel that I was ever part of his target audience because I don’t feel there is a target audience.
tardis
Underappreciated? Maybe people just don’t care.
Daveliam
This was, literally, my thought when I read the headline on the main page: “Is that the jackass who runs up to people on the street and shoves a microphone in their face?”
So, my answer to the question posed is: No, he’s not underappreciated because that would imply that he should be appreciated.
sfsilver
Logo not giving Billy a show was probably a blessing. I think he’ll get away with more on Fuse. Count me among the Gay men who have loved Billy and his irreverent style for years! Fall off the couch funny.
Of course public awareness doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Is he or his management doing anything to promote himself to Gay audiences to make Gay people aware of him and his comedy? Honestly I don’t see any Gay facing promotion of him and that is on him and his “team”.
Niall
I literally had never heard of him until the vid with Paul Rudd and from the comments above, it doesn’t seem like I’m alone either. So it might not be a case of being underappreciated, but people not just caring because he’s not well known.
stranded
He’s cute, pretty funny, but not that funny.
rextrek
as CY said – you have to 1st do something to be appreciated…..all I know him is from Parks and Rec, and Billy on the Street
robho3
he’s irritating
Icebloo
@Cy: I agree they should have EARNED our recognition and support but most of the gays who run these awards just give them to the famous people they like and want to meet. I can never understand why we give awards to Anne Hathaway. She has done NOTHING for us and never even mentions gay people. She was in Brokeback Mountain – arguably one of the most high profile gay-themed movies of the last 50 years – yet in all of the interviews she gave to promote the movie she never even mentioned her brother is gay. What a bit%h ! She is just another self absorbed celebrity. Then we give her awards ! She missed so many golden opportunities to promote human rights because all she cares about is making money for herself.
nsomniac
I had never even heard of him before this article had to Google him.
Evji108
I watched his youtube vids as well. He yells a lot, acts like an idiot and is generally annoying. Mildly funny. I doubt he will be winning any glaad-bag awards for this crap.
Callum
@kevininbuffalo: Halle-fucking-lujah. I’m in Britain, and I’ve never heard of this guy, but I wholeheartedly agree that gay-focussed TV is always either cringeworthily vain or draining and vapid.
Malibu Eric
I love love love Billy. His schtick makes me laugh, guilty pleasure.
Geoff B
I’m not sure why, but I think his show is hilarious. Sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and laugh and “Billy on the Street” does it for me. Maybe that’s why I find him cute.
Brian
He just screams at people. Living in a city myself, I already deal with enough screaming people every day… so why would I intentionally choose to listen to another screaming person? Ugh, no.
Fang
Ok, I have a bone to pick with him and a lot of other people. I *hate* when people say “heterosexual community.” Yes, they share a common identity, but talking about heterosexuals as a community disregards and diminishes the context of gay communities, communities between people of color, and other minorities that must bind together through their unique identities and position in society. The status quo is just that: the status quo. It’s not a community. Grrrr
Cee
I just watched his show for the first time. I admit I was laughing. But why should GLAAD invite him anywhere?