That Stephen Colbert Joke About the President Was Actually Homophobic
Stephen Colbert has been known to sometimes be a little over the top with his humor. While his run on The Late Show has been pretty tame, sometimes the comedian goes a little further than expected with his jokes. While it’s no secret that Colbert (like some) is not a fan of the President, a joke he made earlier this week was not only unfunny; it was downright homophobic.
On Monday night’s episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the comedian made a joke about President Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin using some language that implied they had a sexual relationship. Both Democrats and Republicans alike called out the host for the joke, stating that not only was it pretty tasteless, but it’s also wildly homophobic.
Since being called out, Colbert has apologized, saying, “I’m not going to repeat the phrase, but I just want to say for the record, life is short, and anyone who expresses their love for another person, in their own way, is to me, an American hero.” But, the damage is done.
If we continue to use gay relationships as a pun, or use homosexuality as a form of insult, we’re telling gay people that their lives are funny and their relationships are joke-worthy. While some might argue that this is not a big deal, most people agree that microaggressions such as this can be detrimental to the general acceptance of gay relationships.
Hopefully, Colbert has truly learned from his mistake and we see even fewer jokes that call out gay relationships.
What do you think of Colbert’s joke? Tell us @BritandCo!
(h/t Refinery29; photo via Dave Kotinsky/Getty)
