Bowen Yang, a gay edian and the son of Che immigrants, is helpg make SNL's st more diverse than ever. Here’s what you should know.
Contents:
- NEW 'SNL' CAST MEMBER BOWEN YANG IS BREAKG BARRIERS FOR BOTH ASIAN AND GAY COMEDIANS
- ‘SNL’S’ GAY HISTORY: ALL 4 LGBTQ CAST MEMBERS
- THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN TWO OPENLY GAY MALE ST MEMBERS THE 40+ YEAR HISTORY OF SNL
- ‘SNL’: ALEC BALDW SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN MANY GAY MALE CAST MEMBERS — THEY JT WEREN’T OUT
NEW 'SNL' CAST MEMBER BOWEN YANG IS BREAKG BARRIERS FOR BOTH ASIAN AND GAY COMEDIANS
* gay male cast member *
As SNL’s first openly gay st member, and the first openly gay st member on any work televisn show, Sweeney found himself tratgly typest. He had plenty of origal ias, but outsi of imprsns of female public figur and gay ritur, there wasn’t much for him to do. In a 2017 terview, he explaed, “If there was a part for a game show host, they wouldn’t put me bee, well, wasn’t a gay game show host.
” Sweeney add that he didn’t thk there was necsarily any bad tent behd this: “They jt did bee they didn’t know … ‘What do I wre for a gay guy?
‘SNL’S’ GAY HISTORY: ALL 4 LGBTQ CAST MEMBERS
The show’s only openly gay st member, Lee is also edor--chief of urban entertament news statn 'Hollywood Unlocked.' * gay male cast member *
One early sketch that would bee emblematic of Yang’s imprt on the show starred Harry Styl as a social media manager who accintally fills up Sara Lee’s Instagram acunt wh gay thirst ments.
Like much of the material performed by Terry Sweeney, this sketch is firmly rooted stereotyp about gay men. The most famo example was when Chevy Chase, upon havg Sweeney nfirm he was gay, rpond by tellg him, “You n start by lickg my balls.
The iceberg sketch is notable that, although ’s fely not the entire joke of the sketch, Yang’s character is clearly, emphatilly gay.
THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN TWO OPENLY GAY MALE ST MEMBERS THE 40+ YEAR HISTORY OF SNL
» ‘SNL’s’ Gay History: All 4 LGBTQ Cast Members | * gay male cast member *
Although a lot of the homophobia YouTube vio ments or popular Redd threads related to him is blatant and easy to dismiss, ’s often drsed up as an annoyance about his lack of range.
“Bowen Yang is too … gay, ” was the tle of one post published on the Live From New York subredd a year ago. Another mon crique is that his portrayal of flamboyant characters is offensive and homophobic self. This cricism was most prevalent the aftermath of Shane Gillis beg fired om the show 2019 for g racist and homophobic slurs on his podst.
” which the poster tried to draw a parallel between Gillis’ e of homophobic slurs and Yang’s e of queer-d characters, argug that was hypocril for the show to have fired Gillis but not Yang. Audienc are ed to straight characters’ sexualy not havg anythg to do wh the joke of the sketch, but if a gay character’s sexualy isn’t a punchle, then s cln requir an explic jtifitn.
‘SNL’: ALEC BALDW SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN MANY GAY MALE CAST MEMBERS — THEY JT WEREN’T OUT
New 'SNL' Cast Member Bowen Yang Is Breakg Barriers for Both Asian and Gay ComediansBowen Yang, a gay edian and the son of Che immigrants, is helpg make SNL's st more diverse than ever. Though the show is embarkg on s 45th season on the air, Bowen jos the st as the first Che-Amerin performer history and one of only three openly gay male st members ever. The only openly gay men to appear on the show before Bowen are Terry Sweeney on one season om 1985 to 1986 and John Milhiser, who was briefly part of the st for the 2013-2014 season.
Article ntu below advertisementSource: Getty ImagBowen Yang is SNL's first openly gay, Asian st of this trivia nfirms two thgs: SNL has a long-standg problem wh reprentatn that seems to be gettg addrsed (however slowly), and Bowen Yang is fely a first for the show as the first openly gay, Asian player the show's five s on televisn. Though both are openly gay now, when they were llege, they were actually romantic rivals over a girl.