Billy Eichner Clarifies That He Knows Other Gay Men May Exist
Even if they are just on streaming
By now, everyone in America knows it is our duty to see Bros, the first gay rom-com to be produced by a major studio, in order to prove to Clarence Thomas that gay movies, actually?, can have straight directors. We are not going backwards. But first, Bros co-writer and star Billy Eichner would like to address some of the controversy surrounding his recent comments about the film’s historic nature.
In a Variety interview this week, Eichner pointed out that Bros is a legitimate film and not biodegradable trash, like other gay movies you may have watched over the summer on Hulu and enjoyed. “This is not an indie movie,” he said. “This is not some streaming thing which feels disposable, or which is like one of a million Netflix shows. I needed to appreciate that ‘This is a historic moment, and somehow, you’re at the center of it. You helped create it.’”
And of course his therapist would be so proud of him for saying something so self-affirming in such a public venue. For some reason, though, he’s gotten a bit of flack for intimating that other little gay movies are sort of embarrassing and worthless compared to his big gay movie. Eichner responded to the controversy in a series of tweets on Wednesday night.
“I want to clarify what I said about streaming content in Variety,” he tweeted. “I was not at ALL referring to the quality or monumental impact of streaming films, I was referring to the way that, historically, LGBTQ+ content has often been considered niche and disregarded by Hollywood.” He continued:
“I have been openly gay since the beginning of my career over 20 years ago, at a time when that was very challenging. And I am very proud Bros is one of many projects – theatrical, streaming, online, etc – where so many of us are finally getting to tell our own LGBTQ+ stories. Being an openly gay man and a loud and proud part of the LGBTQ+ community is one of the things I am most proud of in my whole damn life. And from the bottom of my heart I truly am so sorry if I inadvertently offended or insulted anyone. I really am. Thank you.”
Thank you, Billy. Now, with a clear conscience, we may proceed to Fandango to purchase our advance ticket to Bros, the first gay rom-com to be produced by a major studio (not indie) (NOT streaming).
