Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Jesse Tyler Ferguson And 'Spelling Bee' Creators Step In After School Cancels Show Over LGBTQ+ Content

original Broadway cast of "Spelling Bee"; Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Stephen Lovekin/WireImage/Getty Images; Araya Doheny/FilmMagic/Getty Images

The creators of 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' agreed to make some changes after Cardinal High School in Ohio canceled the show due to its 'vulgarity'—and because a character has two gay dads.

TV star Jesse Tyler Ferguson and the original creative team for the Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee stepped in after a superintendent announced the cancellation of a high school's production of the show due to "vulgarity" and for a character having "two gay dads."

Ferguson played Leaf Coneybear in the original Broadway cast that opened the show in New York in 2005.


The musical comedy centering on a middle school competing in a spelling bee contest won two Tony Awards and has spawned numerous productions worldwide and in schools around the country–including junior versions of the show without profanity.

Recently, Cardinal High School student Riley Matchinga was cast in the Middlefield, Ohio school's production as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre–a contest competitor with two gay dads.

She described them as the following:

"Carl Dad is kind of drill sergeant with spelling. He wants his daughter to be super successful and win, win, win."
"Where Dan is more like 'Ok, it's time for a break. We can let her chill out for a little bit.'"

Three weeks into rehearsals, the director and music teacher Vanessa Allen received an email from the Cardinal Schools' Superintendent asking why there was an unsettling buzz about the show.

Allen said of the superintendent's concern:

"He mentioned something about inappropriate content."

Allen claimed the Cardinal Local School District's school board addressed complaints of "sexual innuendo" and "the gay dads" in the show.

However, Superintendent Jack Cunningham denied those claims but did issue a statement saying the show was being canceled for "vulgarity."

Allen apprised her students of the disappointing news but gave them the power to decide how to move forward.

She recalled telling them:

"We gave them the option that we are willing to—for lack of a better word—fight this decision."
"But only if that's what you want us to do."

After all the work they put in up until this point, Matchinga and her classmates were not going to back down.

The senior student said:

"And we're all like, 'Yes, let's fight it. Let's do it. We love this show."
"We think it's a really good show and something worth putting on."

Upon hearing about the Cardinal School's cancellation of Spelling Bee, Ferguson explained the reason for it was "kind of abusive."

He began with:

"There's something I feel I just have to get off my chest. I'm a little rattled."

Ferguson explained in a social media video post that some of the show's content can easily be modified or censored, but the one point of contention that parents "bump up against" was in regards to the "two gay dads" component.

He noted that having played a gay father for 15 years on the hit TV sitcom Modern Family made an influential impact on viewers who commended the show for its representation and for inspiring positive changes within their own families.

He continued:

"I guarantee you that there's someone at this school who is maybe being raised by gay parents but, definitely, more than one person at this school is gay or lesbian or bisexual and the message that this sends to them, that that is not ... family friendly is toxic and harmful and kind of abusive."


One of the students involved in the production expressed gratitude for Ferguson's input.

"hi!! my name is hanna hansen and i was supposed to play rona in the show at cardinal. i just want to say thank you so much for this, you have no idea how much it means for you to stand with us:) thank you thank you thank you."

@jessetyler/Instagram

Another student involved in the production also commented:

"AS THE CARDINAL STAGE MANAGER: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!! each and every one of us is so thankful for you speaking out!!! it genuinely means so much to all of us that are involved!!!!"

@jessetyler/Instagram

More commenters shared their personal stories of overcoming anti-LGBTQ+ challenges and they emphasized the importance of representation.

@jessetyler/Instagram



@jessetyler/Instagram

@jessetyler/Instagram

@jessetyler/Instagram

@jessetyler/Instagram



@jessetyler/Instagram

Ferguson's video prompted Spelling Bee creators Rebecca Feldman–who conceived the show—and book writer Rachel Sheinkin to also weigh in.

Sheinkin explained how she met the school board halfway by accommodating them on some 20 requested lyric changes to the show to avoid canceling the production.

Said Sheinkin:

"It's heartbreaking for the kids if you cancel it in the middle of rehearsals and construction and the rest."

But there were specific things the lyricist was not willing to budge on.

"There were a lot of different requests and we weren't able to accommodate ones that changed the story or the character arc."
"But we were very happy to accommodate ones that changed individual words and a whole lot of 'damn' and 'goddamnit.'"

One example included changing the lyric "good lord" to "good grief."

Another lyric changed from "and I've heard that she's pro-choice/ though still a virgin," to, "but she will not make her choice/ 'till she is certain."

To maintain the show's integrity, however, Sheinkin refused to change the lyric "I'm not that smart," in the song "I'm Not That Smart," sung by Leaf Coneybear–which Ferguson originated on Broadway–because that was what the character has heard from his family.

Sheinkin said:

"Clearly, that's a bigger change than we're going to be able to make. And it has to do with the character's story who comes to appreciate his own intelligence."

Commenting on the school wanting to sugarcoat the real hardships young students navigate in school, like bullying for example, Sheinkin said:

"We thought it sounds like they're wanting all the characters to be nice and not all characters in drama are nice."

Matchinga added there was more to theater than just mindless entertainment.

"Theater is about more than just getting on stage and singing a song and dancing a dance."
"It's about making people think critically and think about life in ways that you wouldn't on a day to day basis, and empathize with people."

After an agreement was reached, rehearsals resumed so the show could eventually go on.

Superintendent Jack Cunningham wrote an email obtained by NPR, saying:

"We are focused on learning from our situation and moving forward internally."

Allen considered this a victory and said:

"Whatever the original reasons for the objections ... we came to a place of common understanding and common sense and consideration for the students, and I think it's fair to say there's consideration for the students on all sides."

Looking back, Allen noted how the experience made her more apprehensive about her decisions in the future.

"I think we all see what's happening nationally with censorship. And I never thought that I would be dealing with it."
"But now, after all this, I'm starting to question everything I'm doing."

Drew Cohen, President and CEO of Music Theatre International which licenses musicals–including to high schools–understands Allen's nervousness.

"They're nervous about just saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing," Cohen said.

"The last thing they want to do is have a problem with the parent body or the board because they picked the wrong show."

More from News/lgbtq

Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Blasted For Announcing New Additions To The White House Lawn As Global Tensions Escalate

President Donald Trump was criticized after announcing that two new flagpoles would be added to the North and South Lawns of the White House—not the greatest look amid heightened global unease as tensions between Israel and Iran ramp up.

According to the Associated Press, Trump watched as a crane installed the newest flagpole on the South Lawn, remarking, “It’s such a beautiful pole.” He later returned to the site to salute as the American flag was raised for the first time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump from CNN supercut
CNN

Trump Mocked For 'Two Weeks' Iran Deadline With Supercut Of All His 'Two Weeks' Promises

President Donald Trump has a history of promising to resolve problems within "two weeks," and a new viral supercut mocks him for all the times he's said as much—including right now with tensions in the Middle East higher than ever.

Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether to involve U.S. forces directly in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing what he called a “substantial chance” for renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lynda Carter; Screenshot of Donald Trump
Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images; Newsmax

Lynda Carter Hilariously Channels Wonder Woman In Response To Trump's Claim About 'Undetectable' Planes

After President Donald Trump touted the U.S. military's "stealth" planes that he described as "undetectable," Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter responded to his claim with a funny quip sure to delight fans of her iconic character.

Earlier, Trump boasted about the military's capabilities in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office amid heightened concerns about the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict that is sending shockwaves throughout the Middle East and around the world:

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less