During a recent episode of Larry King Now, the red-wine loving host interviewed Anna Paquin, and he seemed particularly interested in the True Blood star’s sexuality. As in, he kept asking question after question about having sex on set, vampire sex, sex with her vampire husband, etc. Eventually Paquin’s bisexuality came up. That’s when King got confused.
King: “Are you a non-practicing bisexual?”
Paquin: “Well, I am married to my husband and we are happily, monogamously married.”
King: “But you were bisexual?”
Paquin: “Well, I don’t think it’s a past-tense thing.”
King: “No?”
Paquin: “No. Are you still straight if you are with somebody…if you were to break up with them or if they were to die, it doesn’t prevent your sexuality from existing. It doesn’t work like that.”
Some writers are calling King’s questions “offensive at best, and [feel] almost violent in [their] intent at worst.” But that seems a little unfair. Sure, there are dozens of other things I wish King had asked Paquin instead (“When was the last time you flew away home?”), but I don’t think he was being malicious. He’s 80 years old — he was probably genuinely confused by how Paquin defines herself. Better that he asked than feign being knowledgeable. Now maybe someone can teach him what memes are…
