Simon Amstell: The gay UK comedian courts laughter and controversy

From Rupert Everett to Stephen Fry, from Graham Norton to Sir Ian McKellen, there are several openly gay British celebrities who seem to have made the transition across the pond to American consciousness. But one who has yet to do so is 28-year-old comedian and TV presenter Simon Amstell - and in the meantime, I think Americans are missing out.

Amstell first became a part of my life as a co-host on the cult Sunday morning pop music show Popworld (2000-2006), which took an acerbic - not to say savage - approach to its musical guests, as opposed to the fawning approach favored by most TV shows. While I sometimes felt a bit sorry for the bland cheesy pop stars who trotted into the studio, only to be ripped to shreds by Simon, he was also capable of putting the boot in where it was truly deserved.

In an interview with notoriously homophobic reggae star Beenie Man, for example, Simon explained that he had just broken up with his boyfriend, and then asked for a hug. (Beenie Man said no. Simon gave him a banana with his phone number written on it). In an interview with Lloyd Banks, of 50 Cent’s macho, humorless G-Unit, Simon innocently asked “When was the last time you said ‘Come on fellas, get into the spirit! It’s gay night!’” In an interview with the fat rapper Bizarre, of Eminem’s group D12, Simon first asked to touch his stomach, and then, when Bizarre refused, said “I bet you’ve let Eminem touch it.”

That’s not to say that Amstell necessarily let his gay guests get off easily. In an interview with U.K. gay mag Attitude last year, former Savage Garden star Darren Hayes talked about visiting Popworld in order to promote his 2004 album The Tension and the Spark. Hayes was still closeted at the time, and according to him:

“I sat on Simon’s couch and we were in the middle of the interview and he said ‘so, when are you going to come out then?’ [...] I said ‘Excuse me?’ and he said ‘well, you're obviously gay, but why won't you come out?’ My reaction was so violent. Rather than deny it I said ‘Oh, you want to talk about my sex life, do you?’ [Simon] blinked and I said ‘Yeah, I like to f***, actually. I'm probably more of a top and if you lay on your back I'll show you how I like to f***.’”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this part of the interview was cut when the segment aired. While Hayes refers to Amstell as “a total prick”, he admits that this event was crucial in spurring him to come out (which he eventually did in 2006):

“I had to come out after that [...] I couldn't let any other complete stranger have that power to rubbish me in the public again. [...] I couldn't allow my sexuality to be this flimsy carpet underneath me that could be ripped out at a moment’s notice.”

This episode leaves me torn: While I don’t generally approve of forced outings, and while I’m sympathetic to Hayes, I do also have a certain sympathy for Amstell’s approach of refusing to treat homosexuality as a dirty secret that can’t be mentioned.

For more on Amstell and some clips of him on his show, click on through the jump...

Since October 2006, Amstell has been the host of the comedy panel game show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, where he continues both to be very funny and to be savagely rude to guests. When John Barrowman appeared on the show, though, he seemed ready to take on Amstell, challenging him at one point to a “gay-off”:

You can also see a funny clip of Amstell interacting with Amy Winehouse here:

Last year, Amstell also co-wrote an episode of the UK teen drama Skins, focusing on the relationship between gay character Maxxie and his Muslim best friend Anwar. While not everyone may approve of or like Amstell’s confrontational stance, he is unquestionably doing quite a bit - and at a young age - to contribute to gay visibility in the U.K.