Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Billy Eichner Slams 'Completely Ignorant' Aaron Sorkin Over Tweets About Straight Actors In Gay Roles

Billy Eichner Slams 'Completely Ignorant' Aaron Sorkin Over Tweets About Straight Actors In Gay Roles
Emma McIntyre/WireImage/Getty Images; Rich Fury/Getty Images

Comedian and actor Billy Eichner called writer and director Aaron Sorkin "completely ignorant" after Sorkin said casting gay actors as gay characters is an "empty gesture."

Writing on Twitter, the star of Difficult People and Billy on the Street said Sorkin's remarks are "Completely ignorant of how Hollywood has treated its openly LGBTQ+ actors for a century."


Eichner urged Sorkin to "write yourself a ‘walk and talk’ back into the past."

Sorkin, best known for writing The West Wing and The Social Network, unwittingly kicked off another debate about representation in Hollywood films after he responded to criticisms about his decision to cast the Spanish actor Javier Bardem in the role of Cuban actor Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos, a film about the marriage and career crises faced by Arnaz and his wife, the comedian Lucille Ball, who is played by Nicole Kidman.

Sorkin called the criticisms "a little chilling" and commented on casting LGBTQ+ actors in LGBTQ+ roles, saying:

"You can act attracted to someone, but you can’t act gay or straight. So this notion that only gay actors should play gay characters? That only a Cuban actor should play Desi?"
"Honestly, I think it’s the mother of all empty gestures and a bad idea.”

What Sorkin does not get is that Hollywood has excluded LGBTQ+ actors from playing cisgender roles, arguing that audiences would not find them convincing if they knew the actors were LGBTQ+ offscreen.

However, the same industry has also excluded LGBTQ+ actors from playing LGBTQ+ roles, regularly casting straight actors onscreen.

Many agreed with Eichner's assessment and further criticized Sorkin for being out of touch


Conversations about representation in film and theater have become more common in recent years and some cisgender actors have even expressed regret over playing roles that could have gone to LGBTQ+ performers.

Recently, the actor Eddie Redmayne, who received an Academy Award nomination for playing the transgender artist Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl, called his decision to take the role a well-intentioned "mistake."

More from News/lgbtq

Donald Trump
Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Demands 'Boss Of AT&T' Fix Equipment After Failed Conference Call In Bizarre Meltdown

When most of us have technical difficulties, we contact tech support or customer service.

But if you're President of the United States, just ranting on social media—then having your White House Press Secretary post a screenshot of your post on a social media platform people actually use—is apparently the answer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Lauren Boebert speaking to Alex Stein
Prime Time with Alex Stein/Blaze Media

Lauren Boebert Casts Doubt On Moon Landing During Wild Interview With Conspiracy Theorist

Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert was criticized after she seemingly agreed with the conspiracy theory that the moon landing was faked in a wide-ranging interview with conservative conspiracy theorist Alex Stein.

The segment began with the duo casting doubt on nuclear weapons—Boebert even joked about needing "tin foil"—and moved into weirder territory when Stein praised Boebert for "vibing" with him on the topic of the moon landing. Conspiracy theorists have long alleged the moon landing was fabricated by NASA in what they claim was an elaborate hoax.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rosie O'Donnell; Oprah Winfrey
Simon Ackerman/Getty Images; Ernesto Ruscio/GC Images

Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah For Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding In Scathing Poem

Among the various celebrity hangers-on who attended Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's Venice wedding, the one that seemed to generate the most controversy was Oprah Winfrey.

After all, a woman known for her progressive politics whose entire ethos is about teaching people how to be their best selves, attending the wedding of man who directly funded a fascist regime dismantling our country before our eyes doesn't exactly add up.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Murkowski
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Lisa Murkowski Slammed After Criticizing Massive Budget Bill She Just Voted For

Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski was slammed after she claimed that President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is "not there yet" despite casting the deciding vote to narrowly pass it before sending it back to the House.

In a marathon voting session, the Senate narrowly passed the legislation in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after three Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman listening to her boyfriend play guitar
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Things People Initially Found Attractive About Their Partner That Now Annoy Them

Being in a relationship can be wonderful, but it's not without its ups and downs.

In order for it to work, we have to allow it to grow and change over time rather than being locked forever into what it was when we first started dating our person.

Keep ReadingShow less