Ryan Murphy Calls Out "Modern Family" Lack of Kissing as "Ridiculous." Seriously, Ryan?

Ryan Murphy (left) and Modern Family Executive Producer Steven Levitan

You'd think between shooting the next season of his Fox show Glee and doing publicity for the upcoming release of the Julia Roberts movie Eat Pray Love, Ryan Murphy would be too busy to weigh in on how the creators of ABC's Modern Family are handling their show. 

You'd also think the man who created some of the most over-the-top plots on Nip/Tuck would think twice about calling a storyline on another show "ridiculous."

You'd be wrong. 

After a panel for Glee at the Television Critics Association Summer Tour on Monday, Murphy took time out to criticize Modern Family for not yet having had gay couple Cameron and Mitchell kiss (via Greg in Hollywood). While Murphy didn't actually say Modern Family's name, his target was clear nonetheless.

Said Murphy: 

I hate it on TV shows, and there’s one show that I won’t name right now, where it’s like ‘Why aren’t these character kissing? Don’t they have a child?’ That’s ridiculous to me. I don’t understand it.

He then added:

If I did it on my show, I would just have them do it in every scene and not have a big deal about it. I don’t think that you have to announce a very special episode. Weren’t they doing it back on Roseanne? It is just so outdated and archaic to me and as a gay man, I would never do that. I would make it very organic and do it several times and not make it a stunt.

Murphy did not explain in what way Modern Family was going to make the kiss "a stunt." It should also be noted that Murphy is no stranger to controversy over gay storylines on his own programs. Indeed, Murphy's Nip/Tuck was often highly controversial in how it handled its numerous gay storylines. 

In a recent interview with AfterElton.com, Modern Family's co-creator Steven Levitan discussed the kiss issue. Levitan explained the lack of a kiss between Cameron and Mitchell was set up in the show's very first episode and was something the show always planned to address.

Ironically, it's criticism from gay men like Murphy that nearly prompted Levitan to not do the kiss after all. "If we didn't have the ending we have," says Levitan, "I would even be tempted to not do the episode because it would feel like were answering the criticism, but I think it goes to such a wonderful ending, people are going to really love it.

Modern Family's Cameron and Mitchell

Murphy has faced his own criticism over a gay storyline on Glee, namely the relationship between Kurt and Finn, with the gay Kurt having an unrequited crush on his straight schoolmate. Tensions between the two boiled over last season and Finn referred to Kurt as a fag.

Regarding the issue, Murphy told critics at the TCA:

Well, I’m excited about that because we always had a master plan, which will come to fruition in Season 2. And I agree with you that I think — I think that Mike O’Malley’s character needs to sort of really learn more about the Finn-Kurt relationship and sort of learn about Kurt’s feelings and have an opinion on that. And that’s something that we’re going to do a whole episode about, that Kurt sort of has to deal with the idea of young romantic love. 

It's interesting to note that while Murphy doesn't think Modern Family — which has been incredibly pro-gay — deserves the opportunity to finish out its storyline, he's "excited" over how he'll handle his own gay controversy. He also thinks his controversy, which has been at least as troubling and controversial, be given the benefit of the doubt he won't give Modern Family. 

In the opinion of this writer, Murphy's comments were classless, ill-formed and he should call Levitan and apologize.

Oh well, at least he just made the Emmy race between the two shows that much more interesting.