News, Reviews & Commentary on Gay and Bisexual Men in Entertainment and the Media

Jimmy Kimmel quizzes Sanjaya Malakar about gay comment

It's ironic that in today's BGWE column I mentioned Jimmy Kimmel's clumsy at best (transphobic at worst) interview earlier this year with Ugly Betty's Rebecca Romijn for which Kimmel's "people" later had to apologize. Via Rickey.org I found this YouTube clip of Kimmel interviewing American Idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar.

While Kimmel didn't approach the heights of offensiveness he reached with Romijn, he none the less managed to come off like quite an ass as he interviewed the soft-spoken 17 year old. Kimmel referred to Malakar's soft, luxurious hair, compared him to My Little Pony, showed less than flattering drawings of him and then asked Sanjaya about his recent interview with People Magazine. Here is how that went.

Jimmy Kimmel: You did an interview with People Magazine and you almost went out of your way to tell them you’re not gay. Why did you do that?

Sanjaya Malakar: I didn’t go out of my way to do that.

K: You didn’t? Because it seemed like you specifically…I told them a similar thing but they didn’t believe me. Do you feel like you had to say that?

SM: (shakes head)

JK: No, you didn’t? It was just something you threw out there?

SM: Yeah.

JK: Okay, because it a little bit odd to throw out there like you feel you have to clear the air. And, of course, as you hear, not that there is anything wrong with that if that was your thing. And you’re a kid. You don’t even know what you are. At this point in your life. I was humping furniture at this point when I was your age.

I realize Sanjaya put himself out there and his bad singing and wild hair certainly seem like fair game for comment. But was it really necessary for Kimmel to put this kid on the spot over his sexuality in front of a nation-wide audience? I suspect it comes from the same place that much of the Sanjaya ridicule comes from. The kid isn't stereotypically masculine so therefore everyone feels more free to go after him.

Here is the whole clip:

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  • Anonymous's picture

    sanjaya on kimmel

    Thank you! Its about time the gay community came out of the closet so to speak on this one. I don't give a crap whether he is or not--but he's 17 years old fro crying out loud and I even heard a local tv newscaster last week call him that "girly boy.' The gay-bashing and racism frenzied attacks against this child have made me cringe, then explode with anger. I'm just a mom. I would love my 17 year-old whether he was gay or polka-dotted. The hatred against this kid made me feel like I was in a different culture--in a different century than I had thought. And worse--to see that no one from the gay activist community stepped up to condemn this really made me sad. However, we moms on the American Idol boards banded together and began to do a letter-writing and email campaign against anyone we heard with a racial or homophobic slur against this kid. I feel it helped. Anyway, thank you! Kimmel was out of line. America was out of line on this one. Thamks for calling them on this one.
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    Anonymous's picture

    Excellent points

    I've posted a couple of rants on my blog in the past week about this very type of thing. It is time for the late night shows to have a gut-check on the type of humour that they have been using recently. To say their humour has been in poor taste would be an understatement, it has been simply pathetic. There seems to be an abundance of this kind of crap hitting the airwaves recently. Kimmel has become famous for being an overblown insensitive creep. But, it seems as is there will be a lack of action as long as we continue to eat our own as well. Look at the number of articles on gay community websites that took some nasty swipes at Rosie's departure from the view. And the gossip websites who have come up with "cutesy" body-part or function names for some performers who some have raised doubts about their sexuality. Here's what frosts my cupcakes on the whole matter. Who the hell cares what these people do in their own lives? I watch or listen to singers, performers, actors, comedians, many of who are out or are "obvious" according to some of the yellow press. I don't care whether they are or not. I enjoy their performing skills as an actor, singer, dancer, skater, comedian, etc. That's all. I have no interest whatsoever in what they do in their personal time. I have paid or watch, expecting to be entertained, that's the only interest I have. That there has been a ganging-up on a 17 year-old young man, with snide remarks, insults, or calling for a gay bashing to take place disgust me to no end. When people stoop to that level, or conversation has devolved to the level of personal attacks on innuendo or rumour or gossip, it just shows the pathetic nature of those who engage in such crap. (sorry, I'm editing as I go, as it's being thought of in much stronger terminology) But, unfortunately, as long as there is an audience for this type of frat house humour, bashings will continue, insults will continue, and the media in the chase for ratings and sensationalism will continue to participate in the orgy of nastiness that has infected the entertainment medium and will continue to rebroadcast this crap at every available opportunity.
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    Anonymous's picture

    Re: Sanjaya on Kimmel

    Good point. Don Imus' producer said on his show that he wished that "Sissy Sanjaya" from AI would become the victim of a vicious hate crime, and no-one said a word. I think its pretty obvious he's gay, whether he's admitted it to himself or not, but I can't blame him for denying it given his age and all the homophobic comments that I've seen thrown his way (you know people don't have raw hatred because they think someone doesn't sing as well as another contestant right?). I really wish him the best and hope that people will get past their prejudices and stop bullying this guy.
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    Anonymous's picture

    Re: Sanjaya on Kimmel

    You don't know whether he's gay or not! Who are you to say? Only he knows that, and it's not for you or anyone else to speculate. I think it's time for people to stop picking on him; he's only a kid! And he's a nice kid too, from what we've all seen. Enough with the Sanjaya bashing. I don't feel he can sing well, but I hate it that others are picking on this kid for anything from looks to hair to sexual orientation to singing. Leave it alone already; he's done nothing to deserve all the ridicule, and as for the judges and how even THEY wanted him off...they're the ones who picked him in the first place.
    Anonymous's picture

    Re: Excellent points

    I agree with you, and would really like to read more of your thoughts on the subject, so it would be great if you could post a link to your blog.
    ThoughLoversBeLost's picture

    Re: Excellent points

    Before I posted my blog address, I wanted to check with Michael first.

    Here's the address:

    http://thoughloversbelost.blogspot.com

    Anonymous's picture

    i think this person is great

    i think this person is great and i would love to hear more on the topic and i stongly disagree with young girls calling for himbecause i know a lot of young girls who hate him
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    Anonymous's picture

    Re: Blog

    Thanks for your blog link. I'm going to check it out right now.
    Anonymous's picture

    I HATE HATERS!

    lol I HATE SANJAYA MALAKAR HATERS!
    Anonymous's picture

    THE POOR KID!

    THE POOR KID! HE DOESN'T DESERVE ALL THE BASHING! I ENJOY HIS SINGING! :P JUst because a guy is kind & soft spoken & loving & sweet & doesn't wear his hair short DOESN'T MEAN He's GAY PEOPLE! :P Uhhg!
    Anonymous's picture

    Kimmel's Desperation

    It's shameful that Kimmel, two or three times older than Sanjaya, feels the need to attack an innocent like Sanjaya, just to try to boost ratings. When did bullying become vogue? And Sanjaya's crime? That he dared follow his dream? Thanks, Michael, for the article.
    Anonymous's picture

    The Kimmel Interview

    I didn't find the interview that bad to be honest. I expected worse and thanks for posting the entire video. It was a fair question...Kimmel didn't dwell on it and quickly moved on after he saw that Sanjaya was uncomfortable with the question. I think Kimmel handled the interview very well...and he actually seemed like he genuinely liked Sanjaya. If Sanjaya had never made the comment in the first place, I doubt Kimmel would have brought it up. I'd chalk it up to Sanjaya's inexperience more than anything. If Kimmel wanted to put him on the spot, he could have asked him if he had a girlfriend. You notice...he didn't do it. Kimmel used good judgement on this one.
    Anonymous's picture

    casey booker

    Sanajaya is not gay is is very adorableand he is very sexy.
    Anonymous's picture

    casey booker

    Sanajaya is not gay is is very adorableand he is very sexy.
    Anonymous's picture

    sanajaya gay or not gay...?

    hmmmm, GAY.... just watch the hand motions and that damn rediculous smile.. .. not theres anything wrong with being gay.. ... but dont deny the obvious
    Anonymous's picture

    sanjaya on Kimmel

    Many young Indian boys also have a similar way of speaking and use of Hand motions. It stems from shyness. Indian boys are more shy than their american counterparts at this age. That does not mean all Indians boys are Gay. They are just different in their expression. Although Sanjaya is only half-Indian he would have some Indian influence obviously.
    Anonymous's picture

    Kimmel Lacks Class?

    It's interesting to note that none of the many Talk Show Hosts, who interviewed Sanjaya, felt need to know his sexual orientation. Kimmel was the only one. Seems to me homophobics are people who harbor a deep fear of being gay themselves. Often, what we hate in others is what we hate in ourselves.
    Anonymous's picture

    I think it's only natural

    I think it's only natural for him to be open about his not-gayness because people have sick stereotypes that gay men are weaker than straight men and good-natured heterosexuals are caught in the crossfire, unfortunately. It's true that he has an ethereal presence about him but that doesn't deter him from a heterosexual orientation. This interview was just AWKWARD to me. I don't think he was being gay bashed (on the verge perhaps), but it makes no sense because the two men clearly come from different worlds. I'm a gay man and I can tell you there's nothing gay about this young man. (Not that there's anything wrong with that XD) He should be confident about being straight, just like gay people should be confident about being gay. He's 110% heterosexual, just like Sean Hayes and Richard Simmons and Clay Aiken. *sigh* He will probably become close friends with the gay community though just because of all the bullshit, and what 'men are supposed to be like' that can be dominated by society.

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