Faculty profile for Ross Gay." name="scriptn
Contents:
- ROSS MATHEWS: GAY PEOPLE 'WANTED ME OFF TV'
- ROSS MATHEWS: I REALIZED I WAS GAY WH BARBRA STREISAND & MORE FROM 'MAN UP!'
ROSS MATHEWS: GAY PEOPLE 'WANTED ME OFF TV'
When Ross Mathews started his reer as “Ross the Intern” on “The Tonight Show wh Jay Leno, ” there were only a small number of LGBTQ people on TV and gay men, Ross says, weren’t happy wh him reprentg them. Jefey Masters: I thk Jay Leno would be acced of gay bashg today.
He was potg out the obv, but he also put me on his show for 13 years, so there was a method behd the madns, I Thkg about you on Chelsea Lately and your show, I’m shocked by how recent was bee still felt subversive to see an out gay man on TV, one that’s not tryg to butch I jt never gave a flyg fuck what people thought or thk.
I thk that me embracg what I am, which is this pl size, unapologetilly, openly gay person, woke some people How did you navigate beg visibly gay and not rg what people thought wh the fact that ’s not always safe to be perceived to be gay? Where even I, who was followg the North Star of beg gay, said, “Well, I gus I should try this bee that’s what I’m suppose to do.
ROSS MATHEWS: I REALIZED I WAS GAY WH BARBRA STREISAND & MORE FROM 'MAN UP!'
” So, I did and wasn’t my cup of tea, but I tried When I’m out and I hear someone who sounds gay, I thk, “Oh, I’m safe here. When I first started on The Tonight Show, I got a lot of hate mail and the majory of the hate mail was om gay people, sayg, “You’re settg the movement back. I’m embarrassed to be gay bee you’re reprentg .
They wanted me not to reprent them, gay people. Sce Mathews, who jok, "I've been gay sce birth, " first appeared as Ross the Intern on The Tonight Show Wh Jay Leno, 's been part of his missn to be visible and reprent for those g up behd him.
"I remember beg a kid a farm town and realizg I was gay and then askg myself, What do a gay grown-up person look like? "I remember thkg, God, I have to s down and talk to him bee he knows I'm gay, jt bee, you know, I'm on TV.