“I know people like Titus. If a person exists, it’s fair game. Titus makes Barbie clothes, for example, and that’s based on an old gay friend of mine who worked as a cater-waiter when he first moved to New York. He was too broke to go out, so he’d literally sit inside and sew Barbie clothes to kill time. I try to base everything in some kind of truth. I don’t worry about what the Internet says. Getting in trouble with the Internet is not real. The Internet is not a force you have to obey.”— Tina Fey, who tells The Advocate that her dream project is “a movie about Stonewall where I play all the people,” shortly before addressing criticism about Kimmy Schmidt’s character Titus being the stereotypical effeminate gay man.
Derek Perron
Sometimes stereotypes are funny.
Michael Golojuch Jr
Go Tina!
Richard Rackley
Her characters her vision her way. Leave her alone. If you don’t like it create your own. Sincerely, a gay guy who likes her characters
Joseph C Landis-Midnight
I love him.
DDstar1me
It’s not a show to be taken seriously. It’s funny and I love the character Titus. He is relatable. To me at least. Also, in Tina’s defense she isn’t doing anything original with a character like Titus. We have seen this character over and over in many different ways on many shows. It’s a great show for Netflix. Just enjoy it.
Masc Pride
“If a person exists, it’s fair game.”
Well said, Tina. Warms my heart every time I see a comedian tell the perpetually butthurt PC police to go scratch. She’s totally right, and I’d definitely go to see her Stonewall one-woman show.
Carl Cordell
I didn’t see him as a stereotype at all. Being gay, I do have some colorful friends that are more inline with Titus. We are not all converting to Dockers wearing dullards. Some of us are happy to just be who we are and as gay as we want to be. I love Titus and don’t want him to change.
Jessica Dick
well tracy morgan would stab his son in the chest for being gay, alec baldwin also too her bigotry is fair game.
Glücklich
@Masc Pride:
*Seeking* stuff by which to be offended is an industry whose growth has paralleled that of the internet’s. Dunno know where you are but there are scads of such operations where I live.
flinnte
I love Titus, he’s smart, works wonders with what he has, he’s funny, clever, caring……and he’s eternally optimistic that he will be a star. He’s a modern, gay Lucille Ball!
Terry Lawson
If the stereotypes hurt maybe we should stop acting that way?
Orlando Chavez
I know a lot of people that are just like him, and there are a lot of stereotypical gays!
redcarpet30
People don’t like Titus?! WHAT WHITE NONSENSE IS THIS!?
Avery Alvarez
I like Tina, and Titus.
And I like that she made this comment.
@Glücklich: What’s even worse, is people pay MONEY to go to Uni to learn how to be offended by everything in “gender studies” “race studies”, or “sexual minority studies”. Glad I spent my money on an actual future!
Milton Appleby
The character was hysterical and there are gay men like him. I can understand that we’ve been portrayed with specific “stereotypes” and need diversity. But there is no denying these stereotypes come from a real place, they exist. I am actually more annoyed with the characters on Modern Family than Titus. I mean Pinot Noir.
Glücklich
@Avery Alvarez:
Seems like anything ending in “studies” or “history” puts one on the fast track to a job where one’s name is embroidered on one’s shirt.
dwes09
@Masc Pride:
What matters is intent. Stereotypes in Tina Fay’s work or that of South Park, Bob’s Burgers, American Dad and so on are clearly come from people of good heart. There are however other writers/performers who use stereotypes to diminish the humanity of people. The supposedly “perpetually butthurt PC police” are often correct in their disapprobation, the right wing very often clueless in theirs.
Kieran
Saturday Night Live specializes in lampooning the effeminate gay stereotype. Millions of American school kids learned “that’s SO gay” from watching SNL’s gay characters.
Scott Moninger
Said this for years about Tina, despite the fact I like most of her work and her characters. She just obviously has a very narrow view of a lot of things.
Mathew Haverty
“@meakoopa: Titus is a stereotype living when gay dudes arent allowed to be stereotypes. He ‘doesn’t know which box to check on the hate crime form.'”
Davonico
Love this: “I don’t worry about what the Internet says. Getting in trouble with the Internet is not real. The Internet is not a force you have to obey.”
Titus is wonderful, and I’ve had several friends like him in my day!
Oona Gorman
He’s an emotionally honest guy who’s a dedicated thespian. Of course, he “show tunes” everything. It’s the same thing as Peewee coaches wearing polyester shorts using sports metaphors for everything!
Kris Barton
good god get a grip girl
Masc Pride
@dwes09: Meh. I think the funniest stuff comes from people with good hearts who intend to diminish the humanity of others. Half made in light-hearted fun and half totally meant to diminish.
BTW South Park, Bob’s Burgers, Brickleberry, etc. have all had their moments of being controversial for the sake of controversy, and it’s a good thing every now and then. Throws people off. I hate when punchlines are too PC, why even bother at all? They’ve all been criticized for being too eager to offend.
hub592000
OMG!!! It’s 2015 and this is COMEDY!!! Lighten up. Tina Fey is an F’n comedy GENIUS!!! Tina, as a gay man, I’m NOT offended.
stranded
Unlike the Barbie commercial from a previous story, this depiction of a feminine gay man, i find hilarious, because if you watch the show, he’s very dimensional. I can understand being turned off my him, but i personally love Titus. What Fey said about the internet is half true. It’s incredibly easy for people to join the bandwagon and create a “controversy” in a few short hours. People don’t take the time to really get all the information and lots of people just sign online petitions or write angry posts and never think about it again. I think it’s important to not bow down to all the controversies.
Saint Law
@Masc Pride: Could you try making sense? It’s kinda what language is for.
Bob LaBlah
@Masc Pride……..this is going a bit off topic but I am sure you remember this sick cartoon’s take on girls, prom night and pregnancy. Enjoy. I still laugh when I think about it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p6Dxuf4H2I
martinbakman
I like Titus.
GayEGO
Right on Tina Fey!
alphacentauri
Meh, her characters are stereotypically gay.
Masc Pride
@Bob LaBlah: Lol I remember that. This one reminds me of Giancrazy and Atticus Bennett:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNGZo5gn_tc
Bob LaBlah
I love that show, The Family Guy. Remember the old fart down the street and his obsession with Chris? This one had me rolling on the floor. I haven’t seen it in a while but I believe it was when he was asked to baby sit for them, wasn’t it? I remember the song but not the episode it was in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfDoEpTAlRk
harrys
2 Words Honey – Pinot Noir! Listen here you assimilated straight-acting (but still “express” too much with your hands to ever really pass as straight) beige-minded fags, We, the Sissies and the Pansies and the Poofters of the world, are tired of your one-note homogenisation of the Gay Community. We love Titus. We treasure Titus. Titus is us – she reflects us in an age when to be an effeminate Gay Man is not kosher. We’re here….we’re Sissy Queer. Get used to it! Yass, Miss Tina – keep writing!- Harold in Oz