O'Reilly Factor: Dennis Miller's Homophobic Joke About Barney Frank

Dennis Miller appeared on The O'Reilly Factor tonight (Miller is a frequent guest on Bill O'Reilly's show) and went on a rant regarding what Barack Obama should do to the executives of AIG when he takes office, namely, that Obama "should flatten these punks" and "come down hard on them." After Miller finished his rant, O'Reilly chimed in that Obama's next move should be "to arrest Barney Frank, correct?" Miller replies, "Eh, Barney might want to be arrested."

It seems that Frank, the most prominent openly-gay member of the House of Representatives, is being slurred by Miller for his homosexuality. The reactions of O'Reilly and Miller confirm that Miller's joke was inappropriate, to say the least. Watch and judge for yourself.

Related: Bill O'Reilly And Barney Frank Face-Off Over Fannie & Freddie

Comments

[mredder4]

"...makes Caligula look like a shut-in"?

That's your best material, Dennis? You used to be the king of references, now you just look tired. No wonder you've been relegated to radio.

[Adrio]

Lighten up. Dennis Miller's feeble quip just barely only almost qualifies as maybe possibly being slightly insensitive - and I don't even like the guy. "Homophobic" is one of those slimy (and libelous) epithets people like to throw at others without thinking -- and often not even knowing what the word means. If we aren't above this, we can at least move beyond it. I mean, this kind of knee-jerk name calling is so-o-o outgoing administration.

[YellerDawg]

Right. Who could be offended by the suggestion that Barney Frank might like going to jail? We"ve all seen OZ. We know how well gay people are treated in prison, and everybody knows that all gay men fantasize about being gang-raped in prison. So, no harm done. Gay people are the perfect objects of ridicule. Just ask Matthew Shepard. Oh.. sorry...I guess he was tortured and murdered by some of those hilarious heterosexuals. Actually, he was murdered by two self-loathing closet cases. But, who cares? Gay people are so funny.

[Adrio]

Miller didn't say "going to jail", he said "being arrested". Insensitive is not necessarily homophobic -- neither is Miller's public supoert of gay marriage nor his more recent opposition to Proposition 8.

[11907281]

I wonder how jealous Miller is about the success of weekend update this election? He is Jerry Lewis to O'Reilly's Dean Martin, stay classy.

[realityisbetter]

Miller hasn't really been funny since SNL. His humor is always way over intellectual and that just doesn't mix with the right-wing. His audience thinks Jesus was palling around with dinosaurs and doesn't believe in science. I seriously doubt they get his obscure punch lines. You could always tell his HBO show audience was very confused.

[Yama]

Apparently they must, they pay to have him entertain and perceive the humor in his remarks. It seems, you do not.

[Blankman]

Hahaha, did I just get attacked by a conservative on the Huffington Post? Good Lord. I must have done something weird. That's great. Now I can get slammed by liberals AND conservatives. Is there a home for me out there? Or should I just get into bed with the libertarians?

[Blankman]

That's simply untrue. Sure, some if his audience that is on the right believes in the creation story and whathaveyou. Fine. They are free to believe that. And they are no less intellectual than someone who believes in evolution.

I believe in Jesus but I'm a realist, and obviously if one follows the Bible they should likely follow it contextually, as a guide - not a literal 'how-to' book.

But to state that it is over-intellectual, thereby excluding his religious viewers (by your estimation, they're stupid), I think you go over the line.

[dozaa]

Choosing to believe that the earth is 5000 years old because it was written in a book that predates science as we know it today does makes you less intellectual.

Your realist version is not the version that a great many of religious people ascribe to.

It'd serve us all well if you could persuade them to think like you do.

You can start with the attendees of the Creation Museum in KY.

[quizh]

Over intellectualized and pompously "rehearsed" -- it shows. His bizarre array of vacant metaphors stab anyone who follows his rant closely between the eyes.

[Louee]

Anybody who supports the worst president in the history of the country has no business bad-mouthing the democratic congressional leaders. There is only one irrelevance I see in Dennis's rant, and it is he.

[cmnsntz]

That was hilarious!!

[StillweRise]

miller hasn't been funny in DECADES.....

[mentortfc]

Isn't George Bush still President? Aren't we still paying him? Didn't the bail-out come from the Bush administration? Why is Bush getting a pass? It should have been made clear as to how the money would be spent, with strict oversights to make sure the rules were followed. That is Bush's responsibility. Why is Miller ranting at Obama? This is the strategy of the right, for Bush to do nothing for the next month and a half but collect a paycheck and dump as many problems as possible on Obama. We cannot let them get away with this. We need to speak out every time they try to divert blame from Bush to Obama. Can't they understand that if Obama fails , the entire world will suffer? Is there no humanity at all in the republican party?

[Blankman]

Whoa...whoa...whoa......calm down.

I wasn't an Obama supporter, and I'm not blaming him for anything. I'm looking forward to his Presidency.

And Miller was not going 'after' Obama in this piece with O'Reilly. He was simply stating that he hopes Obama crushes the Wall St. hethens who ran amuck with our financial system and left it for us to bail out. He is hoping that Obama, as opposed to Bush who as a lame duck basically sat there, well, like a lame duck - will take these people head on and clean the financial mess up.

I think that's what we're all hoping for, right? Tell me if I'm wrong. And stop the nonsense with "Is there no humanity at all in the republican party?" Seriously. Spare me. You're ranting about this when it's unnecessary. I can't fathom what will happen if Obama is attacked rightfully for something he actually does do wrong (Yes, all Presidents make mistakes). It will be a debacle.

[Mustansar]

Totally agree with you on this one. I think deep down the republican realize how lame the current duck is.

[mentortfc]

I am calm. My point is, why don't republican call on Bush to do his job? He is a lame duck but he is still being paid to do that job. Asking about the humanity in the republican party is not nonsense when you know that there is an organized effort to shift the blame for the republican mess onto Obama BEFORE he takes office. I have no problem with Obama being rightfully attacked, but you know that what the right-winged talking heads are doing is wrong.

[Yama]

It must be convenient not being able to recognize those folks at press conferences demanding more money for more bail outs for who they are. When you pull you head out, you might notice that they are democrats as well as republicans. The latest of which is Pelosi demanding money for the auto unions.

[VirgoGrrrlie]

Methinks the overcompensating straight-guys Miller & O'Reilly doth protest too much! O'Reilly & Miller CONSTANTLY have to try to 'prove' they're "manly men" - which proves they're not real men, only males. (You couldn't pay me enough to date either one of them.) They're both total eejits - and totally disgusting.

Only two men who NEED to overcompensate for being small both spiritually and methinks otherwise as well, would spew such personally-revealing and sickeningly-homophobic sewage on national TV.

Barney Frank has more courage in one of his eyelashes than O'Reilly and Miller have in either of their "manly-male" [sic] bodies. DOWN WITH HATE SPEECH AND HOMOPHOBIA.

[Yama]

"Methinks" thou might be overcompensating theeself.

[Bontempo]

I remember when Dennis Miller was funny, now he has to hang out with the likes of Bill O'Reilly. Must suck to be him.

If Barney Frank can survive the white, all-boys' club that is the US House/Senate, he can survive the small-minded inuendos of a has-been like Dennis Miller. Gotta love Barney.

[Mattplastik]

How much you wanna bet that Bill, Dennis, Hannity, Murdoch and Geraldo have secret big gay orgies
with with ALL the "in-the-closet" GOP members/evangelical preachers.....
That's why FOX ONLY "sticks up" for the GOP. Secret lovers.
They ALL really hate themselves.

[Blankman]

Wasn't that lovely. I hear all about the 'hate' and 'loathing' that comes from the right, and yet I see it get reciprocated anyway on the left. Extreme on either side is bad for this country.

[Yama]

After reading your comment, I'd probably move a step or so away from you pardner.
LOL!

[Eric8869]

I saw Dennis Miller do standup in the suburbs of Chicago in the 90's. His entire act was making jokes (or snide comments) about Republicans. He bombed big time because the suburban crowd was very conservative. He left the stage having bombed (and Louie Anderson won everyone back).

Suddenly years later he's a ranting Republican mouthpiece??? trying to now do the same snarky humor against the democrats? He is just an opportunist whose career was fading. He would have done ANYTHING to remain famous.

Have you noticed how he used to be kind of lighthearted when doing the snarky thing but now he gets visibly angry and nasty when he makes his jokes. He is getting very scary.

[Blankman]

As I stated before, Miller has basically been a conservative libertarian for a long time. He did bash conservatives in the 80's....

When Al Franken was asked "what happened to Miller?" he simply stated that Miller had always had a conservative streak in him.

[Eric8869]

um I was at the concert - my point stands.

[Yama]

Hadn't noticed the anger. However, I've noticed that when the young grow up, then tend to become conservative.

[Eric8869]

Not ones with brains and hearts

[magneato]

Two pri c ks in a pod.

[sambro666]

Focusing on whether Miller's joke was homophobic misses the point; indeed it's a good bet that more people would find that joke funny if Miller was openly gay and joking about a gay friend.
The REAL issue is that mainstream society assumes that male rape in our prisons is an acceptable reality. In fact, male rape in prisons is typically ignored by the authorities to make it easier for them to maintain control: power broker inmates allow themselves to be controlled by prison authorities more readily if they themselves are allowed to control less powerful inmates. It's not about sex; it's about power.
And it's a troublingly violent reflection of our society. Unfortunately for them, the prison population is not a very sympathtic constituency....

[rbryanh]

One of the key characteristics of a crushing bore is that they laugh harder at their own jokes than anyone else ever will.

Dennis Miller is perfect for Fox: loud, not much concerned with facts, and his own biggest fan. As a gay man, I'm not even slightly offended by his harmless joke. If I were a journalist, one the other hand, I'd be bellowing with outrage watching him try to pass himself off as one.

[Mysticalsister]

I love your post so much I won't post one of my own and knock you off the top. Well said.