And in today’s edition of repentant comedians…
Stand-up siren, actress and marijuana enthusiast Sarah Silverman has declared she’s done using the word “gay” as a nasty punchline. The noted comic, originally from Boston, has a long history of using the word in her act (i.e. “that’s so gay”). However, in the wake of the Kevin Hart Oscar debacle, Silverman has promised to use the word in positive contexts.
Related: Sarah Silverman Explains The Art To Telling A Provocative LGBT Joke
“Yeah, I’m done with that,” Silverman told TMZ. “I think I can find other ways to be funny. I mean, I used to say ‘gay’ all the time…’oh, that’s so gay.’ We’re from Boston, we’d go, ‘That’s what we say in Boston. I have gay friends. I just say gay.’
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And then I heard myself and I realized I was like the guy who said ‘What? I say colored…I have colored friends.’ And I realized it was stupid and I’m certainly creative enough to think of other words besides that, that don’t hurt people. But I f**k up all the time.”
Silverman has apologized for insensitivity in the past, and long acted as an outspoken advocate for equality in the USA and abroad. Her TV series The Sarah Silverman Program earned a GLAAD Media Award nomination in 2008 for its depiction of a happy same-sex couple.
The recent debate over her use of the word “gay” comes after actor Nick Cannon brought to light Silverman’s history (among that of other comics) as a means of defending Kevin Hart for using homophobic slurs on Twitter and in his own comedy.
Silverman has been suggested as a possible replacement, but no decision has been made.
DuMaurier
I read the story very carefully, and I completely missed the part where she “hit back” at Nick Canon [sic].
Can anyone help me out?
Brian
This all happens in the public sphere. He tweets about her critically. Then bloggers ask her to respond. Neither of them actually talk to one another.
David
Better questions how is anyone running this “story”? She didn’t make a point to say it, she was getting harassed by people who wanted a reaction. She’d say anything to get away from people at that point. This isn’t like she intentionally tried to do this.
b1fin
Took a L O N G time for Sarah to figure out gay in replacement for Stupid, dumb, bad, anything negative. Every time she used the word gay it made me cringe and think less of her. I am happy she woke up and is vocal about it. Seriously, why did it take so long?
Creamsicle
I’ll give Silverman a pass since she was a vocal gay ally when we were fighting for marriage equality. She’s a comic, and not everything they do stands up outside of the moment they say it.
She may use politically incorrect terms to land a joke, but if she’s supporting legal rights in substantive ways, like donations and raising awareness during interviews, then in genuinely think that she’s done more good than harm.
I do agree with her that she can be more creative than to go with a cheap and easy punchline, and I look forward to seeing how her act grows. Gay jokes weren’t really a major fixture of her comedy, so I doubt it will need to change that much.
Greg
She should start using, “That’s so Vanellope” instead of “That’s so gay”.
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Darsithis
Hart was genuinely homophobic with his anti-gay “omg a gay guy will touch me!”-brand of humor and his talk about “preventing his son from being gay”, whereas Silverman’s stuff was far more tame, she’s apologized, and she’s been active in LGBT advocacy. They’re light-years apart.
Creamsicle
I agree. Silverman has done real work to change discriminatory policy. She was advocating for gay rights, and performing at Pride events since before it was popular or respectable to be pro-gay.
I can see why she might feel comfortable enough with the community to feel like she had cart-blanche to make off-color jokes, especially because gay audiences used to be unshockable and proudly irreverent.
I actually think that the problem is the current crop of baby gays, who have been lucky enough to grow up in a progressive bubble. They don’t realize that Silverman and other comediennes were some of our only allies before the pendulum started swinging our way.
Geeker
Quick question, Why does anyone care what a talentless gold digger like Nick Canon thinks about anything?
Creamsicle
Nick Canon needs to find some way to stay relevant or else his hotter upgrade, Michael B. Jordan, will take all his jobs, and probably his wife.
Black Pegasus
Nick Cannon and Kevin Hart can both go play in traffic for all I care. Just Two homophobic talentless man-children who got extremely lucky in life.
Pete le meat
Silverman is not homophobic but she used the word “gay” in a way that is considered disparaging. She should have not done this.
Creamsicle
I hate this trend of condemning imperfect allies.
Internet “Call Out Culture,” is stupid and alienates people with good hearts who are afraid to have their heads bitten off for saying the wrong thing. That means turning away allies, even when they’re actively willing and hoping to grow.
If we’re more flexible and forgiving with potential allies, then we might make some actual progress, rather than just standing around wondering where all the progressive allies have disappeared to, and lamenting the fact that we still can’t get a ENDA bill through Congress that protects sexual identity and orientation.
Gouly Julie Annie
Mrs. Howell, on Gilligan’s Island, would say “Oh, bourgeois!” to express her disgust with things. She made it sound like a dirty word, but I found out she was just talking about people like me.
Kieran
Sarah: “I think I can find other ways to be funny”.
I doubt it.