Blue Power Ranger Reveals That He Qu the Show Over Harassment as a Gay Actor | The Mary Sue

david yost gay

Openly gay actor David Yost spoke about dark tim and the challeng he faced durg his succsful stt wh Mighty Morph Power Rangers.

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BLUE POWER RANGER DAVID YOST ON GAY NVERSN THERAPY, G OUT, AND FDG PEACE

David Yost, the origal Blue Power Ranger, opens up about beg harassed on set for beg gay and how fans have been helped by his journey. * david yost gay *

Now Yost — speakg to EW as part of an extensive oral history Entertament Weekly’s recent issue celebratg the 25th anniversary of the h Fox Kids seri’ first season — is openg up about g to terms wh his sexual orientatn, why he entered gay nversn therapy, and how his fans have reacted sce he me out publicly.

ORIGAL BLUE POWER RANGER DAVID YOST ON GAY REPRENTATN NETFLIX'S POWER RANGERS RNN SPECIAL

David Yost, who left the '90s show after facg harassment for beg gay, wr that the Lnsgate reboot "really stepped up to the plate." * david yost gay *

“It’s hard when you have a certa amount of fame and you’re gog through the personal stggle that I was gog through as a gay person, ” says Yost, 49, who has said he was harassed on the Power Rangers set by some crew members bee he is gay.

DAVID YOST, BLUE POWER RANGER, SAYS HE QU SHOW OVER GAY INSULTS

Origal Blue Power Ranger reveals that he was harassed on set for beg gay * david yost gay *

“I put myself through nversn therapy bee I didn’t wanna be gay. “In the begng, I certaly didn’t want people to know that I was gay. “And now that I’ve e out as a gay person, every day I get msag om gay people around the world that tell me, ‘Thank you for g out and sharg your story bee your story helped me e out.

Origal Blue Power Ranger David Yost on gay reprentatn Netflix's Power Rangers rnn special "It's taken a long time to get there, " says the actor, who me out as gay after leavg Mighty Morph Power Rangers 1996.

In the begng, I certaly didn't want people to know that I was gay, " he said. ""I put myself through nversn therapy bee I didn't wanna be gay.

ORIGAL POWER RANGERS STAR DAVID YOST TEAS ‘AWOME’ GAY REPRENTATN RNN SPECIAL

If you grew up watchg Mighty Morph Power Rangers, your your unrstandg of the show's behd-the-scen tensns will be forever changed when you watch this movg terview wh the origal Blue Ranger, David Yost ("Billy") which was nducted by Power Rangers fan muny No Pk Spanx at this year's Anime Ftival Orlando 2010. In the terview, Yost reveals that he qu the show bee of the tense anguish and harassment he felt on set as a gay actor. Yost says that his stars were lled to producers' offic several tim and qutned about his sexualy, that the reason he qu the show is "bee I was lled 'f***ot' one too many tim" by the show's "creators, producers, wrers, directors," and that he ntemplated takg his own life. Then, for two years, he participated a program lled "Pray the Gay Away" unr the belief that "God's gonna somehow e down and change you," and then had a nervo breakdown, whereafter he me to accept who he was. * david yost gay *

Yost add that was a difficult journey for him to embrace the person he was durg his early years of stardom bee of all the negative msag he had received for beg a gay man. David Yost, who played the origal Blue Power Ranger, says he left Mighty Morph Power Rangers bee he was harassed for beg gay, which nearly drove him to a lengthy vio terview wh No Pk Spanx, Yost, 41, said he was wrten off the show 1996 after he walked off the set one day, fed up wh discrimatory remarks.

When I first moved to Hollywood the ‘90s to be an actor, was still nsired taboo to be gay, pecially if you wanted to be a leadg actor TV seri or film.

BRYAN CRANSTON APOLOGIZ FOR 'FEY' COMMENT ABOUT GAY ACTOR DAVID YOST'S 'POWER RANGERS' CHARACTER

David Yost is back blue after leavg the origal anchise due to anti-gay treatment on set. * david yost gay *

If you were gay, you certaly were not allowed to make public. I was stgglg so much wh who I was and not wantg to be gay bee of what society was tellg me — that ’s not a good thg, that ’s agast God, that you are somehow different. There were ments at work that were ma about me terms of beg gay or “beg a faggot, ” and as time went on jt got old and I was tired of listeng to .

I was dog any and everythg I uld to get rid of beg gay.

I n remember lyg bed my first night the hospal, and sayg, “God, if you give me my md back, I will be gay. I remember listeng to my peers talkg about him and sayg really horrible thgs about gay people. People always ask me, “Wouldn’t be great if there’s a gay character on one of the Power Rangers TV seri?

ORIGAL BLUE POWER RANGER REVEALS THAT HE WAS HARASSED ON SET FOR BEG GAY

The more Hollywood puts lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr, qutng, tersex characters a film or TV show, helps people unrstand and see that people are jt people.

Yost, 54, starred the origal kids’ seri om 1993 to 1996 and the 1995 film, but left the show due to homophobic harassment and abe he received om productn crew.

The actor revealed 2010 that he was lled a “f****t one too many tim”, addg: “I jt felt like I was ntually beg told I was not worthy of beg where I am bee I’m a gay person.

BLUE POWER RANGER REVEALS THAT HE QU THE SHOW OVER HARASSMENT AS A GAY ACTOR

In one scene, viewers are troduced to a gay uple. In 2018, while celebratg the seri’ 25th anniversary anniversary, Yost talked openly about the spair he felt after experiencg homophobia on set – to the pot where he felt he had to unrgo so-lled nversn therapy. Bryan Cranston Apologiz for 'Fey' Comment About Gay Actor David Yost's 'Power Rangers' Character.

Bryan Cranston has apologized for ments he allegedly ma about gay actor David Yost’s role as the origal blue ranger Mighty Morph Power Rangers. Warng: The article ntas referenc to homophobia and suici.

BLUE POWER RANGER DAVID YOST WAS DRIVEN OFF THE SHOW BEE HE'S GAY

David Yost, who played Billy, the Blue Ranger, knew he was gay while workg on the show and had to take preutns to make sure no one would fd out.

“PUT MYSELF THROUGH NVERSN THERAPY”: MIGHTY MORPH POWER RANGERS STAR DAVID YOST WAS BULLIED BY CO-STARS FOR BEG GAY

“I said I’m not gonna be gay, I’m gonna foc on my reer. Yost rells overhearg producers and -stars watchg footage of him and throwg out homophobic slurs. The emotnal toll Yost alt wh exemplifi what was like for many gay people Hollywood at the time.

“Everybody thks everybody Hollywood is accepted and s great to be gay. That homophobia me to a head durg productn of the show’s fourth season, Power Rangers Zeo.

It was a major step down for the character and Yost feels was part bee many the productn staff believed that bee he was gay he uldn’t be a superhero. ” However, durg a panel at Power Morphin 2012, Pagter played d clips om behd the scen on the show cludg one that featured a homophobic slur. The harassment Yost faced sent him to a eper darkns and he spent many years tryg to “get rid of” his sexualy, cludg many versns of the horrific “Pray the Gay Away.

MIGHTY MORPH POWER RANGERS STAR SAYS GAY REPRENTATN WAS LONG OVERDUE

While gay character and relatnships, nor a gay actor like Yost, weren’t acceptable on the seri, straight characters and relatnships were. Marchand, who was an out lbian at the time, and the other wrers knew a gay Ranger was never a possibily at the time but 2004’s Power Rangers Do Thunr they troduced Hayley, the team’s rint tech expert. We were startg to thk, uld we, any pacy, troduce a gay character on this show?

In an terview wh Den of Geek, Marchand crg at the memory, parg to the famo Hays Co of early Hollywood that effectively banned direct reference or posive portrayal of gay characters films outsi of ep subtext.

The memory also provok great tratn om Marchand who knew that many executiv at Disney durg that time were gay but, “ jt wouldn’t have flown. Acrdg to Bend there ially wasn’t any reactn to him playg Monty as gay sce was “obv” to anyone who’d read the script.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* DAVID YOST GAY

Blue Power Ranger David Yost on gay reprentatn rnn special Once & Always | .

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