We love Randy Rainbow.
Which is why it was so disappointing when we learned old racist, sexist, transphobic, and anti-Semitic tweets he wrote years ago had resurfaced. And, folks, it’s not, like, one or two tweets. It’s dozens.
LGBTQ Nation reports that an entire spreadsheet of tweets, authored between 2010 and 2016, began making the rounds on Twitter this week.
The tweets show a side to Rainbow we haven’t seen before, calling Black and Latino people murderers, thieves, and drug dealers, making 9/11 and rape jokes, and using anti-Semitic language.
How about we take this to the next level?
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In others, Rainbow mocks Asian men’s genitalia, calls lesbians masculine, and frequently uses the word “tr*nny.”
More examples of Rainbow’s tweets be seen on other sites.
To be fair, the vast majority of the tweets were written nearly a decade ago, and it seems highly unlikely that 39-year-old Rainbow would crack these same derogatory “jokes” today. Everyone makes mistakes. What’s important is that we learn from them and don’t repeat again.
What is a little strange, however, is that since the tweets resurfaced, Rainbow has gone into hiding. He hasn’t posted anything on social media and when LGBTQ Nation reached out to him for a comment, he never responded. Shortly after that, the tweets disappeared from his Twitter page.
Here’s how Twitter has been responding to the controversy…
From the same white liberal who brought us the hit “Cuomosexual” and the new smash “Kamala” Twitter Detectives are proud to present Randy Rainbow in “Camptown Racist!” pic.twitter.com/cAwtzvquzh
— Vests & Pitchforks (@RestingPaper) August 17, 2020
.@RandyRainbow is another cis gay male taking advantage of the trans community while having a transphobic past on social media.
He deserves to be cancelled for his bigotry. I don’t give a fuck about apologies. Cis gay men do this a lot.
— (((Kyla Paterson))) 🌹 (@TipsfortheCis) August 20, 2020
Is being a racist transphobe a requirement for success? Because it seems like it is. 😔
Even Randy Rainbow…
— Stephanie McCown 🏳️🌈 (@StephanieMick75) August 20, 2020
LMAO Randy Rainbow’s transphobic/racist ass is systematically deleting all his old hot take tweets from the ages of yore
This is why shock comedians are vulnerable to timed obsolescence. If your humor is always edgy, and the edge moves past it, you’re gonna look like a tool.
— Phillip “Fuck Cops” Mitchell 🍞💦🧙♂️💨 (@automatonomega) August 19, 2020
Not only was Randy Rainbow racist, he even reused his racist jokes. The one about putting a Chinese person in your fridge didn’t go over well the first time so he tried again two years later pic.twitter.com/w0M4svos5u
— Noah (@SmellyCandle42) August 17, 2020
this randy rainbow guy having hundreds of racist, sexist, transphobic, and outright weird tweets was the most predictable thing of all time lol
— isi breen (its pronounced ‘izzy’) (@isaiah_kb) August 18, 2020
Worse than Randy Rainbows old joke tweets being racist is that they’re just as unfunny as what he’s doing now
— Matteo 🕊😎 (@Guenboozy29) August 17, 2020
It’s actually homophobic to cancel randy rainbow for transphobic and racist tweets—that’s just cis white gay culture
— Grave ☭ Robbing (@Grave_Rxbbing) August 17, 2020
randy rainbow, whose entire brand was previously “racist ~sassy gay best fiend~ who claims he has a black woman inside him”, really remade himself into a gay theater hashtag resistance type, only to then be exposed for the many racist things he said before the rebrand
— antonio (@guxpito) August 17, 2020
I don’t know who Randy Rainbow is but thanks to everyone retweeting his old racist jokes, I know he sucks so thanks for that
— Michelle Nation (@michellenation) August 19, 2020
We’re still waiting on that apology and an explanation, Randy.
Related: Randy Rainbow unveils medieval ode to Kamala Harris
eireapparent
Yeah some of these are bad. But cancel culture doesn’t want apologies. Their intransigence demands everything burn regardless who gets caught up in the flames. Are people flawed? Yeah, of course. But how is digging up tweets from a decade ago helping anything. It comes across as petty and toxic. And when they’ve no more allies because they’ve alienated everyone who didn’t rise to their perfection, they’ll have the audacity to complain about that too. Yes, these tweets are egregious and an apology would be good, but you have to be willing to accept it.
Kangol2
Has Randy Rainbow apologized? If so, can you direct me to where he did so? These tweets are pretty hateful. He comes off as a very racist, anti-Semitic transphobic White gay liberal, so his racism and transphobia can’t be laid at the doorstep of conservatism, and I say that as a politically progressive person. The LEAST he could do is apologize. I’ll ask again, if he’s apologized with any sincerity, please direct Queerty readers to it.
Cam
IT’s cute how you’re talking about cancel culture not accepting apologies, when no apology has been offered.
eireapparent
The author mentions the apologies. That’s my response to the author. Not a conversation with you. Read the author’s last sentence. Then read my response. SMH
Cam
@eireapparent
Nice try, you stated that basically the apology wouldn’t be accepted, except no apology was offered so you can’t make that statement. SMH back at you.
Contrarius
@Kangol2 —
The “anti-Semitic” accusations crack me up — because Randy Rainbow IS JEWISH. His original family name was “Ribner”. He didn’t change it — I think it was his parents that did, possibly his grandparents.
mailliw110
Randy Rainbow? Is he related to Roger Ramjet?
kevininbuffalo
You’re gonna have to explain that for the young folks!
fap
Oh for god sakes, I’m so sick of cancel culture. They were jokes, yes they were offensive, but not all jokes are clean, or have to punch up. If Joan Rivers were to have tweeted half the shit she would say Twitter would have wanted her head on a spike. Calm down and get some thicker skin.
Cam
I can always tell a right wing troll because when it isn’t complaining about political correctness or boycotts it’s screaming about “Cancel Culture”.
In other words, people are getting called out for their actions, and people are making a decision whether or not they still want to follow them or buy from them.
Me not wanting to eat at Chick Fil Et isn’t “Cancel Culture”, it’s Chick Fil Et losing business because they actively promoted hate and anti-LGBTQ bigotry. I am free to do that.
Chrisk
Some of my most favorite comedians make this look tame. Lisa lampanelli has made an art form of it. She goes full on. Ni#gers, ki#es, wetb#cks, f#gs. All part of her act. The audience eats it up.
People need to learn to relax.
Aaron
@Chrisk – What is a Lisa Lampilelli?
G-Man
As a black man I personally can’t stand Lisa Lampanelli she offensive and repulsive as far as I am concerned.
DuMaurier
@Cam, and your decision not to follow or buy from someone also isn’t what anyone means by “cancel culture”.
Poison Sumac
“Cancel Culture” is a nice way of saying “gossip.” What else do you call something that digs up things from years and years ago to say “AHA! YOU SAID THE BAD THING, SO YOU ARE BAD!”?
A gay Jewish comedian made off-color jokes years ago, that he is embarrassed about now, but apparently we just have to write articles about them and cite cherry-picked tweets to create the impression of consensus. This is a gossip column, yellow journalism, and this kind of poorly researched BS gives the movements it purports to support a bad name.
HDTex
Um, grow some thicker skin, stop being a fan, and stop watching him. Don’t demand that I follow your example–because I won’t.
Of course he’s not bothering to answer, he’s fully aware that no matter what he says, you’ll simply scream louder than he can speak and deny anything he says is true. Why bother speaking when the mob is assembled?
Yes, yes, I’m a bigot, etc, etc, call out the mob. Nice example of it. Answer what I said or you just prove the point.
Cam
It’s cute how people keep trying to excuse somebody not taking responsibility for their actions by saying “Well people won’t listen anyway”.
Funny, I thought an apology was because somebody felt bad or was acknowledging what they did. If people aren’t accepting apologies that are only to get out of the situation, maybe it’s because they can tell that the apology isn’t genuine.
HDTex
@Cam: If I wanted my own comeback, I’d wipe it off your dad’s chin. As I said above, why bother? You’ll never listen.
Randy will still be around while you’re still whining it up with half a dozen admirers. Enjoy.
Erik
“Simply scream louder” – you got that part absolutely right. We no longer live in an age of reason, we live in the age of loud. Who is loudest wins.
Aaron
Randy What’s His Face is a D-list comedian that got cancelled. That’s hilarious. So long. Farewell. We never knew you.
G-Man
Personally I am just sick and tired of people saying shit and then thinking they can away with it by apologizing. Yes it was 10 years ago but if you think about it, that wasn’t that long ago and he should know better. Stop being idiots, stop saying stuff that you know you will have to apologize for and have a little compassion I am over the B.S. If you can’t make people laugh without being racist or transphobic maybe you should look into another profession.
Cam
@HDTex
You’ve used that EXACT same comeback on me from two other screenames. Why not just change your name to “Right Wing Troll account” if you’re going to make it THIS obvious when you’ve stolen somebody’s screename and are now trolling?
HDTex
@Cam: Nope, but it’s cute that you lie like that, too, just to make a point. Shrug. Either that or you seriously need mental help, which you should probably get immediately as paranoia is a serious problem.
On the other hand, it’s a fairly common comeback and you dad’s probably got sex problems, so I suppose it’s just that you’re jerk enough to get it thrown at you fairly common. So you’d still need the help, but simply for being a jerk. Either way, it seems you should probably see a shrink. Toodles.
WSnyder
Randy’s best option is to come out with a new video where he skewers HIMSELF with a kiss a** song. Don’t hold back, really kick himself in the pants, HARD. Then at the end, apologize and fess up. Own the mistakes, be empathetic and show maturity.
To this day, I’m SO glad that there was no Internet, no Social Media for which I’d now regret having posted some of the sh*t I said and did in my day. Very few people go thru life w/o regrets to things in their past, most of us live with just private memories, a few live knowing a close circle of people might remember as well. But in this day and age, it seems the younger generations will have to live with some of their mistakes being out there forever and being reminded all the time.
A cautionary tale for modern times.
Chrisk
Yeah that would be smart. George Michael did the same thing and it made him more popular than ever.
Cam
That is a great idea.
TommyIL
No, today’s youth will have to live with their onlyfans content and thirst trap photos following them around for the rest of eternity.
skyboy63
You wouldn’t be cancelled if you weren’t being a racist asshole.
Chrisk
Canceled by who. You? It’s called comedy dear. Try it sometimes.
TMBisAOK
@chrisk oh please! Even the king of edgy racist jokes, Don Rickles, would think most of these these were bad…bad jokes and bad use of bigoted language.
Larry
Never heard or seen a single video from him. I just see all the headlines here.
TMBisAOK
We are all so glad you told us.
Oceankayak
Don’t believe everything you read. The pro trumpers are great at faking news..
shakes_head
Funny how a whole generation of YouTube stars and Internet personalities weren’t properly vetted before becoming moderately famous. Just log off folks!
GorgeousNotGeorge
People talk about cancel culture etc. What has always been a common trait among Americans have always been to elevate, praise then demand then tear them down. No excuses for most of these tweets and definitely he needs to apologize.
Twitterverse is toxic and when it disappears, we might be better for it. It also exposes the fact that we have been doing racist stuff for a long time and often just put it off as a joke because the visibility of those we offended were less.
Now the movement is there to try and find everything about an individual to bring them down on both sides. (I mean a spreadsheet – COVID19 quarantine means a lot of time on their hands) Again no excuses but we all live in glass houses and no one is above anything but when you put someone on a pedestal for their work, don’t expect them to be pure. Hopefully we are learning not deepening the hate and vitriol.
Erik
Since the term “cis” is hate speech, and a case of labeling people with a term they don’t use themselves, comparable to “trannie”, Bernie’s bully “(((Kyla Paterson))) ? @TipsfortheCis” is a hypocrite. Of course, eventually, mainstream culture will realize that ‘cis’ is hate speech, and cancel her and her peers as well. In the meantime, her homophobia “Cis gay men do this a lot.” is duly-noted.
If you point her homophobia and hypocrisy out to her now, of course, she’ll revile and slander you. Some on the left, like Kyla, have gone full circle and become a new Right.
TMBisAOK
Um, excuse me for asking, but wtf are you talking about!? Cis is hate speech?
UlfRaynor
When it is spat out like a snake spitting venom, then yes it becomes a hate word.
Mister P
If it matters, Randy Rainbow is a Semite.
richybruce
It does matter… The irony seems to be lost on everyone that he’s Jewish and Gay and a comedian. We got bigger fish to fry people.
HDTex
No, it doesn’t matter. Unless he’s black, of course. Or Hispanic. Then we can forgive him almost anything.
But white AND male? Hang him high, folks. Hang him high for any reason you can find. Ellen got a few months until it got too hard to deny, but she has those two X chromosomes and that lesbian thing to fall back on.
There’s no excuse for being male and white and making off color jokes. Off with his head.
Again, take the “bigot” thing and shove it, Cam. So far, you’ll go to the ends of the earth to defend any bigot of color, but a white person? Hang them. Hang them all, as far as you’re concerned. It must be a fun day around you and your fear of any shade paler than beige.
pavel20
umm, i’m not sure kevin hart would agree with you on that one HDTex.
Essie
I don’t know Randy Rainbow; never heard of him until a few weeks ago, on this site. Too bad I’ll never know him. But, he sounds like a lot of people who think they are comedians but their “jokes” sound stupid and offensive a few years later.
Well, BYE, it was nice not knowing you, Randy.
flinnte
Hi. Did a Trumper dig up all these old tweets. I’m guessing Randy was a shock comedian? Awful jokes. Not funny. Let’s give Randy a chance to explain.
AxelDC
God, Americans love to raise people up and then tear them down.
Oceankayak
I agree with you
Oceankayak
I don’t believe this for a minute. For one…the picture attached to the tweets is a VERY recent picture. Look at the pink glasses. He only started using those recently. Nope This is fake. Republicons tying to shut him down…
EZinHTown
When you update your profile picture on Twitter, the new picture appears on every single tweet no matter how old. This is similar to FB.
nitejonboy
Who’s Randy Rainbow ?
Aaron
Same. I’m like, I don’t know her.
WSnyder
Why ask here? If you don’t know, you can look him up on YouTube. If you don’t know what YouTube is, you can Google that. If you don’t know what Google is, why are you on here?
valentino888
Everyone around me knows I can smell a racist a mile away. But I can’t help but think, given how totally outrageous and over the top his tweets/jokes were, that he was well aware of the Joan Rivers, Bianca del Rio, celebrity roast nature of those tweets. It looks as though his intention was to drop a few jaws. As a comedian, perhaps he sort of took a different turn in his brand of humor for his most recent stuff, which seems very genuine (the leftist song parodies). Because IF he really meant that earlier stuff he wouldn’t be ABLE to do ( so well), the stuff he does now. He wouldn’t even know how to go about it. By no stretch of the imagination would I stand behind anyone that was racist, misogynistic, transphobic or xenophobic. It’s been a nightmarish last 4 years of this kind of stuff! But I just don’t think this guy is a racist, misogynist, etc in “real life.” I really don’t. We may find out differently – but probably not.
Aaron
Who the hell is Randy Rainbow?
Apparently he’s a washed up D-list comedian I can continue not knowing.
inbama
Well, that’ll be two of you.
edwardnvirginia
Its great, ain’t it!, when cancel culture cancels queer people and sends them in extremity: shame and fear, lost income and wretchedness, etc.
And what’s up with that ‘promo’ for San Fran up front of this piece about welcoming people to ‘everlasting pride’ in SF. Sounds like a ridiculous hypocritical lie, ain’t it, because of course the self-righteous identity police just CANCELED ‘everlasting’.
But, of course, didn’t you already know that queer culture is full of liars and lies? ‘eternal youth’, ‘fame is sexy’, ‘money makes sex better’, ‘drag queens can say racist things but we don’t cancel them for it’, etc.
McSteve
Let’s wait and see if there’s a double standard from the gay community who eviscerated Kevin Hart and rejected his ultimate apology (for only a couple of offensive jokes).
splunky
I get your point, but Kevin tweeting about smashing a dollhouse on his son’s head if he caught him doing “gay” things doesn’t come off as just a joke.
Erik
Ah, you’re a homophobe who condones parents killing their kids for being gay. Why aren’t you off taking photos of your crotch with a loaded gun pointed at it?
Blackceo
Hmmm….there sure doesn’t seem to be this “I hate cancel culture” energy whenever its a Black celebrity or athlete who says something homophobic. Yeah I liked Randy Rainbow’s videos, but like with most yt gays, I’m not surprised when something racist comes up. I don’t trust yt women and I don’t trust yt gay men. :shrug: And miss me with the “not all of us” stuff. That should be obvious I’m not lumping every single one into that.
HDTex
“I don’t trust yt women and I don’t trust yt gay men.”
So…you’re a bigot. Who simply wants the same special treatment of black bigots.
Sigh.
OK, bigot.
Joshooeerr
If you’ve really only just heard of Randy Rainbow then you’re so desperately behind the pop culture curve that you should immediately check yourself in the mirror: there’s a danger you’re sporting a mullet and wearing flares, with zero idea that you’re no longer cool.
nunya
I’ve heard of him. Have an inkling of who he is. He’s just of no consequence to me. Just as all the other celebrities (internet or Hollywood), we homos tend to fawn over, have no influence on me or my existence.
inbama
That list should include all your English teachers.
DuMaurier
Really? Are you sure?
Kevan1
We have forgotten how to laugh at ourselves. When a joke is meant to cut or hurt a person or a people it is not funny. I have no problem with gay jokes meant in banter and play. When the joke is malicious then I take offense. Randy needs to explain himself. I am not sure he meant to hurt. There are people who in the past who have made horrific jokes and comments do change and see the light., others don’t. Judge your actions first then look at others. Accept a true apology and speak out against those who are your true enemies.
ScottOnEarth
Randy Rainbow is ENDLESSLY annoying and obnoxious and, now revealed to be a long-standing bigot. You’d think that a gay man would understand the damage that ignorant, unfunny, stereotypically-bigoted comments like these create. It doesn’t matter that these stupid tweets are 10 years old. It wasn’t the dark ages and it shows who he really is.
mhunter
Jeez, last week it was Alex Morse, this week Randy Rainbow. You need to read your mission statement again. It’s not a “fun, entertaining and enjoyable space” to read about faux outrage – it’s tiresome. As others have mentioned, a comedian making bad jokes is not news… neither is dredging up old jokes told years ago in another time.
Gary Q VV
Randy Rainbow is still one of my heros. Granted, he wrote some really mean spirited things about people for whom they didn’t deserve his ‘incendiary’ words of intentional hurt and divisiveness. For that, Randy, shame on you. You must now pay the price and give a heartfelt apology – that is if it’s authentic – to your thousands upon thousands of admirers. Otherwise, your future reputation as a true LGBTQ+ community personality and celebrity is highly at jeopardy.
EZinHTown
Well said!
nunya
YAWN! So over the offended. Everyone looking for a reason to be offended. Sometimes things are just funny. We have lost the ability to laugh at ourselves and each other. It’s not that people are really offended. They feign being offended to signal how much more “woke” they are than anyone else. They are worse than any holier-than-thou religious fanatic.
I once dated a Vietnamese guy who once asked me if I’d defend him if someone called him a Chink. I said, “Damned right I would. You’re no Chink; you’re a Gook!” We had a good laugh and continued on with our lives. No feelings or small animals were harmed in the making of the joke but then again he and I aren’t of the everyone gets a trophy mindset.
jpoppinga
He’s a comedian so what do you expect. He’s just an updated version of Rickles. I accept some are now considered unacceptable but they are older tweets from a different time, even if only ten years. I accept he’s apology is sincere.
Rock Star
One cannot help but like most of his song parodies. There is no denying he has talent. We can all be jerks, and I am sure he has most probably learned his lesson. The longer you live the more you realize how foolish and dumb you were in your past life, especially your late teens and early twenties. He’s just a regular queer boy with a slightly sordid past. I will not cast the first stone, or the 69th.
jkb
Why am I not surprised. I totally got that vibe from him.
Georgeiv2
Oh for heavens sake get a grip Mr. Rainbow was an edgy comedian so his jokes were edgy O.K. in retrospect 10 years later they weren’t funny and are now unacceptable Can we all say that we were as pure as the driven snow 10 years ago , could our comments pass scrutiny in hindsight ? I bet some of the ladies clutching their pearls now were laughing then I think hes a funny young man and look forward to his songs . I agree with Rock Star And furthermore I wish that I had a quarter of his talent !
I may be dim ( There’s an open invitation ) but whats racist about the Crystal Meth joke ?
EZinHTown
I’m curios, if he were straight man making homophobic jokes about gay people in addition to the other tweets would all of you still rush to his defense and say how ridiculous it is that people are so easily offended?
I’m willing to give him a chance but he has offered no apology yet and deleted everything without a word. If his apology is sincere then I’m willing to overlook this as youthful indiscretion.