Comedian and actor Billy Eichner—best known as the star of the shows Billy on the Street and Difficult People—apologized following backlash for calling LGBTQ+ movies on streaming services "disposable."
Eichner made the remark while doing press for his movie Bros, an upcoming gay romantic comedy that is the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio featuring an almost entirely LGBTQ+ principal cast.
Reflecting on the success of the film—which he stars in, co-wrote, and executive produces, Eichner said the following during an interview with Variety:
“I told myself to look around and appreciate how rare and magical this moment is because you are making a movie that looks and feels like all the romantic comedies you grew up loving, but you’re doing it as a gay man.”
“And this is not an indie movie. 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.’”
Eichner's words were criticized after Variety shared a portion of them in a tweet that was later deleted.
Many took them as a slight against recent LGBTQ+ comedies that were a hit on streaming services, including Happiest Season, Fire Island, and Heartstopper.
Eichner later apologized, saying in a series of tweets that he was "reffering to the way that, historically, LGBTQ+ content has been considered niche and disregarded by Hollywood."
He added that he is proud that Bros "is one of many projects... where so many of us are finally getting to tell our own LGBTQ+ stories" and that he is "so sorry if I inadvertently offended or insulted anyone."
Eichner has been working overtime promoting the film and made waves last month after he called out “all the homophobes on the Supreme Court” during a speech at the Video Music Awards (VMAs).
Eichner took particular aim at Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Thomas wrote a solo concurring opinion in which he advocated overturning rulings like Obergefell v. Hodges—which made marriage equality for LGBTQ+ people the law of the land—in the ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization which struck down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that once protected a person's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction.
Eichner suggested not even the threat of seeing established LGBTQ+ rights overturned would stop him and other filmmakers from creating "gay love stories" for the screen.
