‘Saturday Night Live’: Alec Baldwin Says There Have Been Many Gay Male Cast Members — They Just Weren’t Out
The heated discussion surrounding “Saturday Night Live” and its inclusion (or lack thereof) of gay cast members rages on, because — of course — Alec Baldwin is Tweeting.
After comedian James Adomian spoke to The Daily Beast regarding his belief that “Saturday Night Live” has an issue when it comes to casting out gay men, “SNL’s” current designated Trump impersonator tweeted a link to the article with the snarky comment, “My dream is to, one day, be as gifted, as brave, as all-knowing as @jamesadomian.”
https://twitter.com/ABFalecbaldwin/status/974815579054931969
Baldwin then followed up by suggesting that people “consider the source” in regards to Adomian’s claims, clearly suggesting that his resentment came from a place of bitterness:
https://twitter.com/ABFalecbaldwin/status/975012097544335362
Baldwin’s tweet inspired “Talk Show the Game Show” host Guy Branum to respond, “That’s like saying the only women who think there’s misogyny are the ones who haven’t gotten to be President yet.”
Well, Alec, can you identify a gay man he did hire? That's like saying the only women who think there's misogyny are the ones who haven't gotten to be President yet.
— Guy Branum (@guybranum) March 18, 2018
Branum also asked Baldwin if he could identify an openly gay man that Lorne Michaels has hired (beyond the previously noted Terry Sweeney — who wasn’t hired by Michaels — and John Milhiser), to which Baldwin replied that he could, but…
https://twitter.com/ABFalecbaldwin/status/975741751628623872
“I can identify several. But they were not out then and are not out now. You realize that possibility, right?” overlooks the issue, which Branum tried to explain to Alec: “That’s the point, Alec. Opportunities are denied us for being out. The fact that gay men get cast on SNL when they stay closeted and play ball doesn’t make the show inclusive.”
That’s the point, Alec. Opportunities are denied us for being out. The fact that gay men get cast on SNL when they stay closeted and play ball doesn’t make the show inclusive. But please say “Hi” to your secret gay friends for me! https://t.co/o7Odx7kJ7S
— Guy Branum (@guybranum) March 19, 2018
Currently, the arguable star of “Saturday Night Live” is the openly gay Kate McKinnon, but she’s the only LGBTQ member of the cast at this point. “SNL’s” casting issue also extends to the selection of hosts — over the last five seasons, the show has been hosted by four people who are open about their LGBTQ status: Kristen Stewart, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, and Jim Parsons. (And Lady Gaga isn’t a given.)
The last time “Saturday Night Live’s” casting came under scrutiny was when then-cast member Jay Pharoah spoke publicly about the lack of black female cast members — which did result in the show actively searching for black women comedians, and led to Sasheer Zamata and Leslie Jones joining the cast. Perhaps similar change could be in the future.
