Ryan Seacrt Mired Gay Rumors for Years and Simon Cowell Never Missed a Chance to Fuel It

''AMERIN IDOL'''S GAY JOK H A SOUR NOTE
THE QUEERG OF RYAN SEACRTTHE AMERIN IDOL HOST—WHOSE RECENT ERRATIC BEHAVR ON THE AIR HAS PROMPTED CHATTER—HAS FOR YEARS ALTERNATED BETWEEN RECEIVG AND LIVERG HOMOPHOBIC, GAY-BAG ATTACKS. THAD RSELL ON THE SEACRT PERSONA.THAD RSELLUPDATED JUL. 14, 2017 1:14PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 19, 2010 6:31PM EDT PL SAKUMA / AP PHOTO EVEN IF HE IS HETEROSEXUAL, RYAN SEACRT SHOULD NSIR BEG GAY.AFTER WATCHG THE AMERIN IDOL HOST BOTH GAY-BA ADAM LAMBERT ("MY TONGUE ISN'T NEARLY AS TALENTED AS YOURS") AND DANCE WH A MAN THE DIENCE DURG ONE OF LAST WEEK’S BROADSTS, I WAS REMD OF THE LATE LERARY CRIC EVE KOSOFSKY SEDGWICK. WHEN ASKED BY A JOURNALIST WHETHER SHE WAS GAY, SEDGWICK, WHO HELPED CREATE THE AMIC FIELD KNOWN AS "QUEER THEORY" BY FDG HOMOEROTIC SUBTEXTS WH CLASSIC LERATURE, RPOND THAT THE ANSWER TO THAT QUTN PEND UPON WHICH "REGIME" ONE WAS OPERATG WH.BRIAN DUNKLEMAN, SEACRT'S -HOST DURG THE SHOW'S FIRST SEASON, REPORTED THAT "THE QUTN I GET ASKED THE MOST" WAS "IS RYAN GAY?" SEDGWICK, LIKE RYAN SEACRT, LIVED BETWEEN TWO REGIM. BEE OF HER BRAZEN "QUEERG" OF CULTURAL INS AND CELEBRATN OF HOMOSEXUAL SIRE, SHE WAS OFTEN ASSUMED TO BE GAY. BUT FACT SHE WAS MARRIED TO A MAN AND SEXUALLY MONOGAMO WH HIM OM 1969 UNTIL HER ATH 2009. THOUGH AS QUEER AS A THREE-DOLLAR BILL HER SCHOLARLY WORK, SEDGWICK'S OWN SEX LIFE ULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE RPECTABLE. "AS FAR AS 'HAVG SEX' GO," SHE WROTE HER MEMOIR, "THGS ULDN'T POSSIBLY BE MORE HYGIENIC OR ROUTIZED FOR ME. WHEN I DO , 'S VANILLA SEX, ON A WEEKLY BASIS, THE MISSNARY POSN, DAYLIGHT, IMMEDIATELY AFTER A SHOWER, WH ONE PERSON OF THE SO-LLED OPPOSE SEX, TO WHOM I'VE BEEN LEGALLY MARRIED FOR ALMOST A QUARTER OF A CENTURY." • VIEW OUR VERAGE OF AMERIN IDOL SEASON 9 I DON'T KNOW WHETHER SEDGWICK EVER WATCHED AMERIN IDOL, BUT I IMAGE THAT IF SHE HAD, SHE WOULD HAVE UNRSTOOD RYAN SEACRT AS SOMEONE SIAR TO HERSELF AND TO THE FICTNAL CHARACTERS WHOSE INTI SHE PLITED. THERE IS LIKELY NO AMERIN CELEBRY WHO MORE FULLY HABS WHAT QUEER THEORISTS LL A "LIMAL" SEXUAL STATE—A PLACE -BETWEEN A CULTURE'S SEXUAL TEGORI—THAN THE IDOL HOST.SEACRT'S SEXUALY HAS BEEN A MAJOR PART OF THE IDOL STORY SCE THE SHOW BEGAN 2002, LARGELY BEE OF SIMON COWELL'S RELENTLS ATTEMPTS TO DO TO SEACRT WHAT SEDGWICK DID TO BRISH NOVELS. THE ACIDIC BRISH TALENT JUDGE SIMPLY WILL NOT LET SEACRT BE STRAIGHT. PERHAPS UNAWARE THAT AMERINS DON'T SAY SUCH THGS PUBLIC, COWELL PUNCTUAT HIS PUT-DOWNS OF SEACRT WH "SWEETHEART," SUGGTED THE HOST "SHOULD KNOW" WHETHER A NTTANT'S HIGH HEELS WERE FASHNABLE, AND EVEN UNSELED SEACRT TO "E OUT" OF THE CLOSET. IN 2006 THE GAY AND LBIAN ALLIANCE AGAST DEFAMATN WAS SO TROUBLED BY COWELL'S HECTORG SUATNS THAT NTACTED THE AMERIN IDOL PRODUCERS TO "DISCS OUR NCERNS—AND THE NCERNS OF MUNY MEMBERS AND ALLI—WHO HAVE NTACTED ABOUT THIS MATTER." TWO YEARS LATER, BRIAN DUNKLEMAN, SEACRT'S -HOST DURG THE SHOW'S FIRST SEASON, REPORTED THAT "THE QUTN I GET ASKED THE MOST" WAS "IS RYAN GAY?"THE IDOL HOST, WHOSE ERRATIC BEHAVR THIS SEASON HAS TENSIFIED THE SPECULATN ABOUT HIS PERSONAL LIFE, IS HOUND ABOUT HIS SEXUALY EVEN OUTSI THE SHOW. AT THE 2009 OSRS, WHERE SEACRT WORKED THE RED RPET FOR E!, -HOST JAY MANUEL, THE OPENLY GAY MAKP ARTIST AND STAR OF AMERI'S NEXT TOP MOL, NOTED SEACRT'S UNABASHED ENTHIASM FOR ONE ACTRS' GOWN. WH A SE, MANUEL TOLD THE DIENCE THAT "RYAN WAS LOVG THAT DRS" THEN ASKED HIS LLEAGUE, "FASHN'S YOUR FAVORE SUBJECT, RIGHT, RYAN?" AND WHEN SEACRT SERVED AS SUBSTUTE HOST ON CNN'S LARRY KG LIVE HE RECEIVED A MOST UNWELE PLIMENT OM CNN ANCHOR ANRSON COOPER—HIMSELF A PUBLIC FIGURE OF GREAT LIMALY. "THAT'S THE BIGGT TIE I'VE EVER SEEN," COOPER SAID OF SEACRT'S EXAGGERATED PK NECKPIECE. TRAPPED SI THE JOKE, SEACRT BLURTED, "YOUR BOW IS TY AND ME IS HUGE," TO WHICH COOPER LIVERED THE FATAL QUEERG BLOW: "I'VE HEARD THAT OFTEN."TRAGILLY, SEACRT'S RPONSE TO ALL THIS HAS BEEN TO FIGHT RATHER THAN SUBM. "DON'T LL ME SWEETHEART," HE SHOT BACK AT COWELL AFTER ONE OF THE FIRST PROVOTNS. “WE DON’T HAVE THAT KD OF RELATNSHIP. I DON’T WANT THAT KD OF RELATNSHIP.” OFTEN THE BATTL, SEACRT TURNS THE ACCATNS BACK AT HIS PERSECUTOR, RATCHETG UP THE HOMOPHOBIA AND BRGG TO MD SHAKPEARE'S OBSERVATN THAT THE SURT WAY TO CRIMATE ONELF IS TO "PROTT TOO MUCH." TO COWELL'S "CLOSET" QUIP, SEACRT JABBED BACK, "STAY OUT OF MY CLOSET" AND "THIS IS ABOUT THE TOP 12, NOT YOUR WISH."SEACRT ACTS MORE SUBTLY BUT NO LS FORCEFULLY AGAST HIS GAY INTY ON HIS SYNDITED RAD PROGRAM, ON AIR WH RYAN SEACRT, WHERE HE ADOPTS A HIGHLY MASCULE, "DU-BRO" POSE. TO WHAT MT BE A YOUNG, MORE HETEROSEXUAL MOGRAPHIC THAN IDOL HAS, SEACRT LETS FLY WH HOMOPHOBIC NUENDO AND LASCIV MENTS ABOUT FEMALE CELEBRI.ASI OM S NTRIBUTN TO ANTI-GAY SENTIMENT A SOCIETY WHERE "FAGGOT" REMAS THE PRIMARY EPHET SCHOOLYARDS, SEACRT'S REFAL TO ACCEPT HIS OWN QUEERG MIGHT ALSO BE A POOR BS CISN. LAST WEEK HE NEED TO LOOK NO FARTHER THAN THE ONT OF THE DORIUM FOR EVINCE OF THIS.STG TWO CHAIRS OM COWELL WAS AMERIN IDOL'S NEWT JUDGE, ELLEN DEGENER, WHOSE REER AND STATURE HAVE MOVED TO GREATNS SCE SHE ME OUT 1997. ADAM LAMBERT SERVED AS THE GUT MENTOR FOR THE SHOW, FOLLOWG A YEAR WHICH HE TABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR IDOL NTTANTS WH A SERI OF BARET-FLECTED SUBVERSNS OF AMERIN POPULAR MIC AND EXTEND HIS FAME AT THE AMERIN MIC AWARDS SHOW WH WHAT MANY HAVE LLED THE RNCHIT AND MOST OUTWARDLY HOMOEROTIC PERFORMANCE WORK TELEVISN HISTORY. SEATED BEHD LAMBERT WERE THE STARS OF GLEE, THERE TO PROMOTE WHAT IS FOX'S SEND HOTTT SERI AND, ACRDG TO ROLLG STONE MAGAZE, THE "GAYT. SHOW. EVER."REGARDLS OF HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN, SEACRT IS UNIQUELY POSNED TO BROAN OUR CULTURE WH LTLE OR NO PENALTY. THE NEXT TIME HE IS LLED GAY HE NEED SIMPLY SAY, "Y, I AM."EDOR’S NOTE: AN EARLIER VERSN OF THIS STORY NTAED THE PHRASE “SEXUAL PREFERENCE.” IT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO “SEXUAL ORIENTATN.”PL: CHECK OUT MORE OF THE LATT ENTERTAMENT, FASHN, AND CULTURE VERAGE ON SEXY BEAST—PHOTOS, VIOS, FEATUR, AND TWEETS.THAD RSELL IS THE THOR OF THE FORTHG A RENEGA HISTORY OF THE UNED STAT (FREE PRS/SIMON & SCHTER, 2010). HE TEACH HISTORY AND CULTURAL STUDI AT OCCINTAL COLLEGE AND HAS TGHT AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSY, BARNARD COLLEGE, EUGENE LANG COLLEGE, AND THE NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL REARCH. THAD RSELL
RYAN SEACRT MIRED GAY RUMORS FOR YEARS AND SIMON COWELL NEVER MISSED A CHANCE TO FUEL IT

''AMERIN IDOL'''S GAY JOK H A SOUR NOTE

''Amerin Idol'''s gay jok h a sour note -- The show's gay fans (and at least one out-of-the-closet former falist) fd the banter between Simon, Randy, and Ryan sultg * ryan seacrest gay jokes *

''Amerin Idol'''s gay jok h a sour note -- The show's gay fans (and at least one out-of-the-closet former falist) fd the banter between Simon, Randy, and Ryan sultg LIONEL RICHIE, KATY PERRY, RYAN SEACREST, LUKE BRYAN If you watched ”Amerin Idol” the week of April 4, you might have noticed somethg was missg — and we’re not talkg about Ruben Studdard’s ”205” jerseys or Trenyce’s abily to h high not. Gone, all of a sudn, was a le of recurrg banter between judge Simon Cowell and host Ryan Seacrt — an sult ntt marked by each man’s suggtn that the other was gay. Straight viewers may not have tected , but for gay ”Idol” fans, the barbs were hard to miss — om Cowell’s sneerg claim that the gay anthem ”It’s Rag Men” was ”Ryan Seacrt’s favore song” to Seacrt’s remark that Cowell lik to listen to ”Y.

THE QUEERG OF RYAN SEACRTTHE AMERIN IDOL HOST—WHOSE RECENT ERRATIC BEHAVR ON THE AIR HAS PROMPTED CHATTER—HAS FOR YEARS ALTERNATED BETWEEN RECEIVG AND LIVERG HOMOPHOBIC, GAY-BAG ATTACKS. THAD RSELL ON THE SEACRT PERSONA.THAD RSELLUPDATED JUL. 14, 2017 1:14PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 19, 2010 6:31PM EDT PL SAKUMA / AP PHOTO EVEN IF HE IS HETEROSEXUAL, RYAN SEACRT SHOULD NSIR BEG GAY.AFTER WATCHG THE AMERIN IDOL HOST BOTH GAY-BA ADAM LAMBERT ("MY TONGUE ISN'T NEARLY AS TALENTED AS YOURS") AND DANCE WH A MAN THE DIENCE DURG ONE OF LAST WEEK’S BROADSTS, I WAS REMD OF THE LATE LERARY CRIC EVE KOSOFSKY SEDGWICK. WHEN ASKED BY A JOURNALIST WHETHER SHE WAS GAY, SEDGWICK, WHO HELPED CREATE THE AMIC FIELD KNOWN AS "QUEER THEORY" BY FDG HOMOEROTIC SUBTEXTS WH CLASSIC LERATURE, RPOND THAT THE ANSWER TO THAT QUTN PEND UPON WHICH "REGIME" ONE WAS OPERATG WH.BRIAN DUNKLEMAN, SEACRT'S -HOST DURG THE SHOW'S FIRST SEASON, REPORTED THAT "THE QUTN I GET ASKED THE MOST" WAS "IS RYAN GAY?" SEDGWICK, LIKE RYAN SEACRT, LIVED BETWEEN TWO REGIM. BEE OF HER BRAZEN "QUEERG" OF CULTURAL INS AND CELEBRATN OF HOMOSEXUAL SIRE, SHE WAS OFTEN ASSUMED TO BE GAY. BUT FACT SHE WAS MARRIED TO A MAN AND SEXUALLY MONOGAMO WH HIM OM 1969 UNTIL HER ATH 2009. THOUGH AS QUEER AS A THREE-DOLLAR BILL HER SCHOLARLY WORK, SEDGWICK'S OWN SEX LIFE ULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE RPECTABLE. "AS FAR AS 'HAVG SEX' GO," SHE WROTE HER MEMOIR, "THGS ULDN'T POSSIBLY BE MORE HYGIENIC OR ROUTIZED FOR ME. WHEN I DO , 'S VANILLA SEX, ON A WEEKLY BASIS, THE MISSNARY POSN, DAYLIGHT, IMMEDIATELY AFTER A SHOWER, WH ONE PERSON OF THE SO-LLED OPPOSE SEX, TO WHOM I'VE BEEN LEGALLY MARRIED FOR ALMOST A QUARTER OF A CENTURY." • VIEW OUR VERAGE OF AMERIN IDOL SEASON 9 I DON'T KNOW WHETHER SEDGWICK EVER WATCHED AMERIN IDOL, BUT I IMAGE THAT IF SHE HAD, SHE WOULD HAVE UNRSTOOD RYAN SEACRT AS SOMEONE SIAR TO HERSELF AND TO THE FICTNAL CHARACTERS WHOSE INTI SHE PLITED. THERE IS LIKELY NO AMERIN CELEBRY WHO MORE FULLY HABS WHAT QUEER THEORISTS LL A "LIMAL" SEXUAL STATE—A PLACE -BETWEEN A CULTURE'S SEXUAL TEGORI—THAN THE IDOL HOST.SEACRT'S SEXUALY HAS BEEN A MAJOR PART OF THE IDOL STORY SCE THE SHOW BEGAN 2002, LARGELY BEE OF SIMON COWELL'S RELENTLS ATTEMPTS TO DO TO SEACRT WHAT SEDGWICK DID TO BRISH NOVELS. THE ACIDIC BRISH TALENT JUDGE SIMPLY WILL NOT LET SEACRT BE STRAIGHT. PERHAPS UNAWARE THAT AMERINS DON'T SAY SUCH THGS PUBLIC, COWELL PUNCTUAT HIS PUT-DOWNS OF SEACRT WH "SWEETHEART," SUGGTED THE HOST "SHOULD KNOW" WHETHER A NTTANT'S HIGH HEELS WERE FASHNABLE, AND EVEN UNSELED SEACRT TO "E OUT" OF THE CLOSET. IN 2006 THE GAY AND LBIAN ALLIANCE AGAST DEFAMATN WAS SO TROUBLED BY COWELL'S HECTORG SUATNS THAT NTACTED THE AMERIN IDOL PRODUCERS TO "DISCS OUR NCERNS—AND THE NCERNS OF MUNY MEMBERS AND ALLI—WHO HAVE NTACTED ABOUT THIS MATTER." TWO YEARS LATER, BRIAN DUNKLEMAN, SEACRT'S -HOST DURG THE SHOW'S FIRST SEASON, REPORTED THAT "THE QUTN I GET ASKED THE MOST" WAS "IS RYAN GAY?"THE IDOL HOST, WHOSE ERRATIC BEHAVR THIS SEASON HAS TENSIFIED THE SPECULATN ABOUT HIS PERSONAL LIFE, IS HOUND ABOUT HIS SEXUALY EVEN OUTSI THE SHOW. AT THE 2009 OSRS, WHERE SEACRT WORKED THE RED RPET FOR E!, -HOST JAY MANUEL, THE OPENLY GAY MAKP ARTIST AND STAR OF AMERI'S NEXT TOP MOL, NOTED SEACRT'S UNABASHED ENTHIASM FOR ONE ACTRS' GOWN. WH A SE, MANUEL TOLD THE DIENCE THAT "RYAN WAS LOVG THAT DRS" THEN ASKED HIS LLEAGUE, "FASHN'S YOUR FAVORE SUBJECT, RIGHT, RYAN?" AND WHEN SEACRT SERVED AS SUBSTUTE HOST ON CNN'S LARRY KG LIVE HE RECEIVED A MOST UNWELE PLIMENT OM CNN ANCHOR ANRSON COOPER—HIMSELF A PUBLIC FIGURE OF GREAT LIMALY. "THAT'S THE BIGGT TIE I'VE EVER SEEN," COOPER SAID OF SEACRT'S EXAGGERATED PK NECKPIECE. TRAPPED SI THE JOKE, SEACRT BLURTED, "YOUR BOW IS TY AND ME IS HUGE," TO WHICH COOPER LIVERED THE FATAL QUEERG BLOW: "I'VE HEARD THAT OFTEN."TRAGILLY, SEACRT'S RPONSE TO ALL THIS HAS BEEN TO FIGHT RATHER THAN SUBM. "DON'T LL ME SWEETHEART," HE SHOT BACK AT COWELL AFTER ONE OF THE FIRST PROVOTNS. “WE DON’T HAVE THAT KD OF RELATNSHIP. I DON’T WANT THAT KD OF RELATNSHIP.” OFTEN THE BATTL, SEACRT TURNS THE ACCATNS BACK AT HIS PERSECUTOR, RATCHETG UP THE HOMOPHOBIA AND BRGG TO MD SHAKPEARE'S OBSERVATN THAT THE SURT WAY TO CRIMATE ONELF IS TO "PROTT TOO MUCH." TO COWELL'S "CLOSET" QUIP, SEACRT JABBED BACK, "STAY OUT OF MY CLOSET" AND "THIS IS ABOUT THE TOP 12, NOT YOUR WISH."SEACRT ACTS MORE SUBTLY BUT NO LS FORCEFULLY AGAST HIS GAY INTY ON HIS SYNDITED RAD PROGRAM, ON AIR WH RYAN SEACRT, WHERE HE ADOPTS A HIGHLY MASCULE, "DU-BRO" POSE. TO WHAT MT BE A YOUNG, MORE HETEROSEXUAL MOGRAPHIC THAN IDOL HAS, SEACRT LETS FLY WH HOMOPHOBIC NUENDO AND LASCIV MENTS ABOUT FEMALE CELEBRI.ASI OM S NTRIBUTN TO ANTI-GAY SENTIMENT A SOCIETY WHERE "FAGGOT" REMAS THE PRIMARY EPHET SCHOOLYARDS, SEACRT'S REFAL TO ACCEPT HIS OWN QUEERG MIGHT ALSO BE A POOR BS CISN. LAST WEEK HE NEED TO LOOK NO FARTHER THAN THE ONT OF THE DORIUM FOR EVINCE OF THIS.STG TWO CHAIRS OM COWELL WAS AMERIN IDOL'S NEWT JUDGE, ELLEN DEGENER, WHOSE REER AND STATURE HAVE MOVED TO GREATNS SCE SHE ME OUT 1997. ADAM LAMBERT SERVED AS THE GUT MENTOR FOR THE SHOW, FOLLOWG A YEAR WHICH HE TABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR IDOL NTTANTS WH A SERI OF BARET-FLECTED SUBVERSNS OF AMERIN POPULAR MIC AND EXTEND HIS FAME AT THE AMERIN MIC AWARDS SHOW WH WHAT MANY HAVE LLED THE RNCHIT AND MOST OUTWARDLY HOMOEROTIC PERFORMANCE WORK TELEVISN HISTORY. SEATED BEHD LAMBERT WERE THE STARS OF GLEE, THERE TO PROMOTE WHAT IS FOX'S SEND HOTTT SERI AND, ACRDG TO ROLLG STONE MAGAZE, THE "GAYT. SHOW. EVER."REGARDLS OF HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN, SEACRT IS UNIQUELY POSNED TO BROAN OUR CULTURE WH LTLE OR NO PENALTY. THE NEXT TIME HE IS LLED GAY HE NEED SIMPLY SAY, "Y, I AM."EDOR’S NOTE: AN EARLIER VERSN OF THIS STORY NTAED THE PHRASE “SEXUAL PREFERENCE.” IT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO “SEXUAL ORIENTATN.”PL: CHECK OUT MORE OF THE LATT ENTERTAMENT, FASHN, AND CULTURE VERAGE ON SEXY BEAST—PHOTOS, VIOS, FEATUR, AND TWEETS.THAD RSELL IS THE THOR OF THE FORTHG A RENEGA HISTORY OF THE UNED STAT (FREE PRS/SIMON & SCHTER, 2010). HE TEACH HISTORY AND CULTURAL STUDI AT OCCINTAL COLLEGE AND HAS TGHT AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSY, BARNARD COLLEGE, EUGENE LANG COLLEGE, AND THE NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL REARCH. THAD RSELL

The Amerin Idol host—whose recent erratic behavr on the air has prompted chatter—has for years alternated between receivg and liverg homophobic, gay-bag attacks. Thad Rsell on the Seacrt persona. * ryan seacrest gay jokes *

Here are two: What msage do three grown men on a natnal TV show send young viewers by suggtg that llg someone gay is the worst sult you n throw at them?

” Not good enough, rponds Stt Seom, entertament media director of the Gay & Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn. Gay viewers are sulted, and straight viewers are given permissn to margalize an entire muny. I’ve heard the my-client-isn’t-homophobic exce om Ryan’s and Randy’s publicists, which is ankly sultg.