Billy Crystal was doing a press panel for his upcoming FX show, The Comedians. He plays the veteran comedian to Josh Gad’s up and comer, and the show is a remake of an original Swedish series which is likely to be much better. Crystal played one of the first gay characters on television in Soap, which ran from 1977 to 1981. When he was asked about gay sex on television he had some thoughts that seemed disproportionate to the amount of gay sex that is actually on television.

Billy Crystal, who played one of television’s first-ever gay series regular on the comedy “Soap,” said today’s portrayal of LGBT characters is, at times, gratuitous.

“Sometimes I think, ‘Ah that’s too much for me,” the comedian told the audience at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena during a panel discussion for his new show, “The Comedians,” which premiers in April on FX.

Crystal played Jodie Dallas on the ABC comedy “Soap” from 1977 to 1981.

“It was very difficult at the time,” said Crystal. “Jodie was really the first recurring [gay] character on network television and it was a different time, it was 1977. So, yeah, it was awkward. It was tough…

“I did it in front of a live audience and there were times when I would say to Bob [Seagren], ‘I love you,’ and the audience would laugh nervously. I wanted to stop the taping and go, ‘What is your problem?'”

But, the comedian says today’s gay storylines are, at times, too much.

“Sometimes, it’s just pushing it a little too far for my taste and I’m not going to reveal to you which ones they are…

“I hope people don’t abuse it and shove it in our face… to the point where it feels like an every day kind of thing.”

[From The Wrap via DListed]

You know what’s gratuitous on TV and constantly shoved in our faces? Violence. Gay sex is a new, rare and welcome addition. We probably see violence on television at a rate that’s thousands of times higher than it occurs in real life. (I can’t verify that with a two minute google search but it’s likely true.) When we see the occasional gay sex scene that’s relatively benign compared to the countless scenes of graphic murders, it’s dissected and discussed in the media ad nauseam. Plus it’s only a drop in the bucket, statistically speaking. I don’t know why we’re paying attention to Billy Crystal’s thoughts on television at all. He’s from another, less tolerant era, one in which he was considered an entertaining Oscars host.

After this story came out, Crystal clarified his remarks to claim that he was speaking about all sex on television, not just gay sex. He told The Hollywood Reporter “What I meant was that whenever sex or graphic nudity of any kind (gay or straight) is gratuitous to the plot or story it becomes a little too much for my taste.” THR has a transcript of the entire back and forth, and while Crystal’s thoughts on gratuitous sex may apply to all sex depicted on television, he was definitely referring to gay sex when he said “I hope people don’t abuse it and shove it in our face.” Here’s the transcript of that part, and you can read more on The Hollywood Reporter:

See, I did it in front of a live audience, and there were times where I would say to Bob, “I love you,” and the audience would laugh nervously, because, you know, it’s a long time ago, that I’d feel this anger. I wanted to stop the tape and go, “What is your problem?” Because it made you sort of very self-conscious about what we were trying to do then. And now it’s just I see it and I just hope people don’t abuse it and shove it in our face, well, that sounds terrible to the point of it just feels like an everyday kind of thing.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

While Crystal’s comments weren’t necessarily as negative toward gay relationships on TV as originally assumed, he did say that he hopes “people don’t abuse it and shove it in our face” so that it doesn’t feel “like an everyday kind of thing.” At least he clarified his comments quickly.

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