Jonah Hill gives emotional apology over homophobic slur on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show: "The word I chose was grotesque."
I got up this morning and read that Jonah Hill called a paparazzo guy "The gay F word". I have had mixed feelings about this kind of situation in the past. Why? I was bullied a lot in school, I was beat up, punched in the face, followed home and verbally abused for most of my Junior High. And... It's still happening in 2014. In some cases its gotten worse. Many LGBTQ people have died from this behavior.
So I watched the interview on Jimmy Fallon Show a few times and thought wow, Jonah is really taking full responsibility for his actions. He said something like; I don't expect to be or deserve to be forgiven. He also mentioned that words have meaning and they effects people in a hurtful way. He came on the show with his hat in hand and did not make any excuses for his behavior. Now, I know some of my gay brothers and sisters may be thinking. F@#k him, he said it. That's the way he must think. Well, I for one believe in change. I believe that forgiveness is one of the best things we can do in life. That it sets us free to give us the opportunity to have more serenity in our life.
Jonah has no anti gay history. He is an actor who does not fit the image of what Hollywood seems to think a leading man should be. He is a ground-breaker (two Oscar nominations) in that world and so we all can compete for work in a business where difference is not celebrated.
I'm out actor and comedian and the National Co-Chair of the SAG AFTRA LGBT Committee for the last seven years. I co-created this committee to work so out gay actors and performers can get an equal shot at making a living in show business. With that in mind, I would to turn a negative action into a positive one.
Think of what it would be like if all the bullies made amends to the people they hurt. "Imagine" as John Lennon once sang about, "what a world that would be." I know its sounds cheesy. But as Maya Angelo once said on Oprah, "When you know better, you do better.