Last month it was announced that the ABC series The Real O’Neals had been renewed for a second season, and that’s always great news for any series, because who the hell knows if a network show is going to get more than one season anymore? It was especially good because this particular show created a lot of buzz and even some controversy by telling the story of Kenny, a teenager who has to deal with coming out to his Catholic family. Kenny is played by 22-year-old gay actor Noah Galvin, who is obviously very excited about his show’s renewal, and that might have played a significant role in his no-holds-barred and certainly no-f*cks-to-give interview with Vulture, which was published Thursday to instant aggregation.
A lot of people are probably unfamiliar with Galvin’s previous work, or even his role on The Real O’Neals, but he found himself at the center of a massive spotlight by giving his unfiltered and uncensored takes on topics like straight actor Eric Stonestreet playing a gay man on Modern Family…
Are you trying to get me to throw somebody under the bus right now? Because I’ve thrown Eric Stonestreet under the bus a solid seven times this week. No, I think as wonderful of an actor as Eric Stonestreet is — I’ve never met him, I assume he’s a wonderful guy — he’s playing a caricature of a caricature of a stereotype of stereotype on Modern Family. And he’s a straight man in real life. And as hilarious as that character is, there’s a lack of authenticity. I think people — especially young gay kids — they can laugh at it, and they can see it as a source of comedy, but like, nothing more than that. And I want Kenny to be more than the funny gay kid.
Definitely not that harmful of a statement, as Stonestreet’s authenticity, Emmy-winning or not, has probably been called into question by other gay people in the past. And Galvin’s point is great, because as a gay man he has the chance to portray a gay character with honesty and sincerity, using his own life experiences. But that aspect was probably buried by his comments about Colton Haynes, who recently came out…
It’s interesting because you know Colton Haynes …
Do I …Do you?
The worst.But you know he talked about coming out. He didn’t actually say he was gay.
That’s not coming out. That’s f*cking p*ssy bullsh*t. That’s like, enough people assume that I sleep with men, so I’m just going to slightly confirm the fact that I’ve sucked a dick or two. That’s not doing anything for the little gays but giving them more masturbation material.
Yeah, that’ll get the popcorn GIFs fired up on a slow news day for sure. Haynes certainly had a response for Galvin, sharing his more professional thoughts on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGdDNtWDTCL/
But even Galvin’s attack on Haynes, as bad as it seems after the 40th time I’ve read it, doesn’t compare to what he said about X-Men director Bryan Singer, who has been accused in the past of some pretty awful things (a case that was later dropped). There’s also the long-running rumor about his lifestyle, of which Galvin said:
Bryan Singer likes to invite little boys over to his pool and diddle them in the f*cking dark of night. [Laughs.] I want nothing to do with that. I think there are enough boys in L.A. that are questionably homosexual who are willing to do things with the right person who can get them in the door. In New York there is a healthy gay community, and that doesn’t exist in L.A.
I can only imagine how quickly that had PR people moving. It had to be pretty fast, because the quote has been removed from the interview and replaced with a disclaimer at the bottom of the page. As Gawker points out, the Stonestreet quote is still there (which, again, isn’t really bad) and so is the Haynes quote, which is pretty awful. Naturally, Galvin is doing some damage control today, because you can’t say whatever the hell you want about a powerful Hollywood director and think everything will be sunshine and gumdrops.
In a statement, the actor writes:
First:
I sincerely apologize to Bryan Singer for the horrible statement I made about him in the interview I gave to New York Magazine. My comments were false and unwarranted. It was irresponsible and stupid of me to make those allegations against Bryan, and I deeply regret doing so. I have never been to Bryan’s house, and I admit there is no basis for any of the things I said or implied about Bryan in that interview. I understand now that my statements were not at all funny and have serious implications. I am very sorry and I hope that Bryan and everyone else who read that interview can forgive me for my serious lapse in judgment. I have contacted New York Magazine and the other publications that republished my statements and asked them all to print this retraction and apology.
Second:
The entire interview I gave to Vulture has hurt the LGBTQ community and the industry I feel truly fortunate to be a part of. My only intention was to try and empower and promote honesty, but I fully understand that comments I made were brazen and hurtful. To Colton Haynes and to the LGBTQ youth, especially those who have embraced our show, I have no right to dictate how or when anybody comes out of the closet; I know how difficult and scary the process of coming out can be, and the last thing I would ever want to do is make it scarier. For anyone. Lastly, as I said in the interview, I think Eric Stonestreet is a wonderful actor. I apologize to everyone that I’ve hurt with my comments and understand the damage that has been done. I am new to this and will certainly commit to being more thoughtful and wiser as I navigate all of this moving forward.
Perhaps the next time Galvin is approached by a reporter as he’s smoking a cigarette next to a bodega, he’ll remember that season three of The Real O’Neals could focus on family life once Kenny takes a summer job in Siberia.
