Comedian Sarah Silverman told TMZ that
she's done using the word “gay” in her comedy.
The 48-year-old Silverman is a strong
supporter of LGBT rights. But she's also faced criticism for using
the term in her comedy.
(Related: Sarah
Silverman says gay marriage foes should apologize.)
“Are you done saying anything that
could be perceived as homophobic?” TMZ asked.
“Yeah, I'm done with that,”
Silverman replied. “I think I can find other ways to be funny. I
used to say gay all the time. Oh, that's so gay. We're from Boston.
That's what we say in Boston. I have gay friends. I just say gay.”
“Then I heard myself and I realized I
was like the guy who says, What? I say colored. I have colored
friends. And I realized it was stupid. And I'm certainly creative
enough to think of other words besides that, that don't hurt people.
But I fuck up all the time,” she added.
Last week, as Kevin Hart faced a
backlash for using the word “fag” in old tweets, musician and
actor Nick Cannon questioned why other comics who used the word had
not faced a similar fate. Cannon used Silverman, Amy Schumer and
Chelsea Handler – three white women – as examples.
(Related: Kevin
Hart withdraws as Oscar host after furor over homophobic tweets.)