Arsenio Hall Confronted By Queer Nation On His Show Back In The 90s (2024)

Seems like this was staged. Arsenio is pretty quick in his responses. He doesn't even get confused about someone yelling something from the crowd. He seems to immediately know what it is about.

I don't really get their problem.

He's quite the asshole in this interview, especialy when Sheena Easton suggests that he's being more demure than normal.

Holy sh*t. The comment I'm referring to starts around 2:28. I didn't notice Whitney Houston was shown sitting off to the side at the beginning. Sheena wasn't only the one white person on stage, she was likely the only heterosexual.

Was The Arsenio Hall Show taped in LA? I knew a lot of the Queer Nation NY members and don't recognize these 3(?) guys. Queer Nation was an early 90's off-shoot of ACT UP that began in NYC (I think it originated there?) A lot of the people connected to Outweek magazine in NYC were members and promoted it a lot in their pages. "Outing" was a hot topic.

There is something really fake and staged about this. Arsenio's lines seem scripted for audience reaction (who all cheer like trained seals) which makes me agree this looks faked somehow and controlled by the show. It looks like the activists may have agreed to certain terms ahead of time, somehow, but were duped.

But since its taped live they can just cut it or... perhaps re-stage it on the spot with the activists' agreement and the show's host coming off as a hero. The audience seems totally prepared for the group and ready to cheer vapid, shallow catch-phrases. What a charade.

If this had been a real action it would have resulted in actual chaos, awkwardness and a "technical difficulty" moment or cut to commercial. The activists then could run to the press, saying, "this just happened, they'll never air it." Journalists would start poking around (hopefully), and the news stories would force the show and host to make statements about the protest subject, or why they chose not to air it. That's how it was done in the pre-internet age.

This should be shown to activists everywhere as a good example of how not to to have an "action." Never give your target control of the protest.

That one QN guy is beefy and sexy, but the way he's standing in that forced masculine pose is a bit excruciating to watch. They look nervous.

That's showbiz!

I remember watching this when it happened and the the next day listing to all the hets defend Aresenio and complain about "those fa*ggots" ruining his show.

Arsenio still defends himself today and makes QN out to be villains.

And like R1 wrote two years ago and R4 wrote today, it looked staged. I know Arsenio is a comic and they're usually quick on their feet with hecklers, but this is a taped show and not a stage in a club. He seemed far too rehearsed and polished in his responses.

The funny thing is at the time I didn't see any responses from QN in the media and decades later, still nothing. R4 may be onto something that these were paid actors. If you were involved in one of the most famous protests in modern media, wouldn't you speak up about it?

What result he wanted from this I don't know, but he helped set back gay visibility and equality with this stunt.

And of course, there have been rumours about Arsenio being gay for years, especially after he became famous.

Man, this was a looooong time ago. Before the train left the building.

So uncomfortable. BTW, Vanilla Ice looks better NOW than he did in 40 years ago.

Just read this from a posting in a different forum from October 2019:

[quote]That all sounds good - BUT... Arsinio was also know to use audience plants who fake confrontations with him and his guests. I’m not sure I believe this was a legit moment

Wow, he was a dick to Sheena in that clip.

Listen to Arsenio say he was the best thing for the gay community and then say we were ignorant about ourselves.

Still an asshole after all these years.

An even older DL thread about this from 2009.

I like how he's trying to frame this today as Queen nation hurting his job and taking away his money. Very Kevin Hart of him.

What's his argument that he was the best thing for the gay community? I can't watch the video.

Eddie Murphy knows Sheena Easton’s cross dressing husband! 👄 👗 👠 💦

R15 this is what he said:

[quote]I played it and I was angry, and I'm still angry because there was no one--no one--more important to the gay community in late night. I put the first openly gay female stand up, Lea Delaria, I had death threats...The bottom line is, we were in a climate and a time where the ignorance of the gay community about their own community was their problem.

He says because he had closeted gay guests on that Queer Nation was wrong for protesting him.

[Quote] the ignorance of the gay community about their own community was their problem.

Their their their. Isn't he part of the community?

He never said his job was threatened by queer nation. You’re pulling sh*t out of your ass.

His response was a valid one. Gus Van Sant and Harvey Firestein weren’t exactly making the rounds of Letterman and Carson either. Why just single him out? At least Arsenio had a discussion with him. Carson and Letterman would have just had him thrown out.

R19 watch the Youtube clip. He says that they came to his job and were taking his money and taking his son's tuition. Watch the f*cking clip before you comment.

Here's an interview from 1992 where he once again paints himself as victim. Nothing seems to have changed.

R19 Queer Nation did protest Johnny Carson, but it never made it to air.

Let's not forget that Arsenio Hall had Andrew Dice Clay on three times and had Sam Kinison on after he did the AIDS "joke".

The only valid point Hall made was this:

[quote]I’ve got gay friends who I’ve had on the show. Just because you don’t know them or they’re not who you want, you have a problem with it?

Basically what he was saying was he had black guests who were gay and the white QN protestors didn't know them and were pissed off saying he didn't have gay people on. He was accusing them of being racists for not knowing about gay black celebs.

That doesn't really hold water. Black gay celebs are more apt to be closeted (deeply) than white ones.

Here's a Queerty post where his answer seems more intelligent and nuanced. Today he's going full on Kevin Hart.

R24 he always names white celebs who were closeted at the time but the only black celeb he mentions, Luther Vandross, is dead.

I find it funny that his show was canceled after he had Louis Farakan on. Even Whoppi Goldberg was pissed off at him for that stunt. To this day he whines about a few gay men in his audience, but won't dare go after the people who actually put him out of work.

R26 he revived his show back in 2013 but it only lasted one year. It was boring and no one was clamoring to be a guest.

Isn't Louie Anderson still closeted?

Arsenio's not hom*ophobic. He was the first one to give Lea Delaria a shot and she was VERY openly gay in her act even then.

Arsenio's not hom*ophobic. He was the first one to give Lea Delaria a shot and she was VERY openly gay in her act even then.

[Quote] That legendary battle. That’s one interesting thing of coming back. I went through a lot of things, and now I get to do it in a different climate. When I analyze the Queer Nation battle now, I think about why it bothered me so much. It’s because I knew who I was. I knew a lot of my friends didn’t come to my defense when everyone was in the closet. I can give you 20 guests on my show in a month [who were gay], but they weren’t talking about it. Luther Vandross ain’t talking about it. He can’t at that time. Louie Anderson can’t then. Ellen can’t then. Rosie can’t then. They couldn’t even say, “Leave [Arsenio] alone!” Only that writer in New York, Harvey Fierstein [repeats Fierstein’s name in an incredible impersonation], was sitting on my couch and talking about issues. I had to let the world be what it is and catch up to the moment, but I knew what I was doing.”

This is such self aggrandising bullsh*t. He was going to put Luther Vandross on because he was a successful singer, particularly among a black audience. He didn't do Luther a favor. I'm not that familiar with comedians' careers.

What is the point of this thread? To whine and bitch about sh*t that happens decades ago?

Let. IT. Go.

The whole thing is stupid, and gay people are not perfect nor victims. They spew as much hate and racism as anyone. Especially gay white men.

Just look at this site on the daily. The Gay "community" is not innocent in the least bit.

[Quote] They spew as much hate and racism as anyone. Especially gay white men.

Do they legislate against straight people? Do they hunt straight people in packs? Sit down.

Yes he is R28. R29 see R17.

People seem to forget how anti-gay America was back in the late 80s and early 90s.

Even in my small Canadian city the local radio station played this clip and the DJ was going on about "fa*gs" and "hom*os" for a week.

R32 can f*ck off. There's no one more anti-gay than black men. That's why so many gay black men are closeted. Go to Lipstick Alley, you'll feel more comfortable there.

Black Americans, then and now, hate the idea that some other minority group might be rising ahead of them. We're going to see even more anger from the black community toward the gay community as the years pass.

It's gay white men who make the laws in America. Gay conservatives ones at that. And they all keep getting caught in their offices with other men too.

R53 Gay people progressing in America, takes nothing away from African Americans whatsoever. Our place in American history is solidified. Our story sits prominently all 4 hundred years we've been here.

But if saying that makes you feel better then go right ahead.

Here's an interview from 2018 with Lea talking about her appearance on the show. I can't believe the guy she describes is the same guy many of us saw that night in 1991 and watched in that clip above.

[quote]It's gay white men who make the laws in America. Gay conservatives ones at that. And they all keep getting caught in their offices with other men too.

R36 you're anti-gay and racist towards whites?

[Quote] It's gay white men who make the laws in America. Gay conservatives ones at that. And they all keep getting caught in their offices with other men too.

I don't see it as a black gays vs white gays issue but let's not pretend there aren't f*cked black gays in prominent positions who've done the opposite to contributing to the wellbeing of their own. What was the name of that modern day James Cleveland who died a couple of years ago?

[quote]Our story sits prominently all 4 hundred years we've been here.

So why are you working so hard to marginalize gay people?

[Quote] you're anti-gay and racist towards whites?

No, they're gay and not white and want to act like white gay traitors are as bad or worse than the bulk of the republican party (and supporters). The Aaron Schocks, Larry Craigs etc. are not the problem, they're symptoms of the problem.

There hasn't been a gay martyr since Mathew Shepherd was tied to that fence. But every week there's a new black martyr. Gay people get treated like sh*t by everyone, but for some reason everyone makes us out to be the villains.

R40 No there's plenty of gay white law makers. If your going to make that argument about "straight" people. Then you have to be honest.

White men in general make the majority of the laws in America. And Pete Buttigieg just came out a few years ago. If he hadn't, he would've been another closeted white man in a position of power. And yes it is about race, everything in America is about race.

It's systemic here.

According to R44 all the bad laws in America are enacted by closeted gay men.

[quote] Do they legislate against straight people? Do they hunt straight people in packs?

It’s tempting.

I didn't see this when it originally aired, but after watching it now, what those guys from Queer Nation did was downright tacky and disrespectful. Not only to Arsenio himself, but the rest of the audience attending. Interrupting a comedians set is never a good idea. Arsenio has had gay people on his show multiple times, it's just those celebrities weren't out themselves at the time.

I love how he blames the gay community for being ignorant about who was gay but says nothing about celebs being closeted or the entertainment anti-gay bigotry that kept them closeted.

I dont understand why it's the public's business as to who is gay and who isn't.

Everyone should mind their own business.

Let everyone live their lives the way they want. No one is entitled to anyone else's sexuality. Not one person. R47 Your right, that was very tacky and desperate.

What are you doing on a gossip forum?

I always found the trajectory of Arsenio's (first) show really strange. It was really hot for a few years. It seemed to peak when Bill Clinton appeared on the show and then... it just flamed out.

It's weird think it only ran for about five seasons. When Arsenio first came on, it was such a big deal and he was a bit of a threat to Carson and Letterman because he was getting some really great guests.

And yes, he was a complete asshole to Sheena who remained gracious.

Closeted gay men are usually our worst enemy as a community. I really can't think of any evil lesbians.

From Roy Cohn to our current vice president, the Senatrice and that tranny chaser Eddie Murphy.They are clearly not our friends.

And just so you know, after the fall of his show and the reversal of fortune, closet case A.H. became drug dealer to the stars.

I guess a girls' got to eat.

If you're in the public eye, R47, you're subject to public scrutiny. It goes with the territory.

R51 I read years ago that his show was syndicated through Paramount while Leno and Letterman were on networks so their shows were on all the network stations while Arsenio's show was sold to stations and aired when the station decided to air them. By the fifth season most stations were sending him to the 12:30 AM time slot and his ratings tanked.

Arsenio says he pulled the plug himself even though Paramount offered him a huge contract. If that's true I don't know but Paramount announced at the time that it was no longer producing the show which would have put Arsenio out of work.

The show was a product of it's time style and content wise and when TV tastes changed Arsenio was viewed as corny and no longer hip. I read that they had to give away twice as many tickets as other shows knowing not everyone would show up. It was basically a fad that died out.

[quote]And just so you know, after the fall of his show and the reversal of fortune, closet case A.H. became drug dealer to the stars.

Damn! I hadn't heard that before. DL always has the best gossip.

R32 Arsenio can't let it go so why should we?

You didn't hear of the accusations Sinead O'Connor made a while back?

[Quote] "Two words for the DEA investigating where Prince got his drugs over the decades ... Arsenio Hall," O'Connor wrote in a Facebook post back in May that she later deleted. "Anyone imagining Prince was not a long time hard drug user is living in cloud cuckoo land."

Damn R58, that's pretty shocking.

I'm going to take Lea's word for it. She has absolutely NO reason to lie about it all these years later.

No one even knows who he is anymore.

Queer Nation was actually on the show twice. When Andrew Dice Clay was on and Hall asked the audience if anyone wanted to talk about him. I'm not sure if that was the first or second time.

[quote]Los Angeles Queer Nationals stood in line for the taping of the “Arsenio Hall Show” with hidden T-shirts, some with pink triangles and pockets full of Queer Nation stickers. Inside, we waited for Andrew Dice Clay to hit the stage. The supposed comedian was nasty to women and gays and we wanted it to stop. Arsenio heard we were there and asked the audience if anyone wanted to talk about it. So I stood up. He asked me why I was there and I said, “I’m gay” and we didn’t like the way Hollywood treated women and the LGBT community and we were going to start holding Hollywood accountable. Arsenio was surprised. I had just “come out” on national television. We wanted to show that gay men and lesbians were a lot more than the serial killers Hollywood depicted us to be in films.

Who the f*ck would link Eddie Murphy with Roy Cohn and Trump? What f*cking drugs are YOU on?

Here's the thing: People were closeted in Hollywood because of the mentality of the system they were working for. Outing celebrities back then was a complete waste of time because it wasn't going to change the fact that the people with the real power in Hollywood were not going to hire an out gay or lesbian actor in a major motion picture or television because it wouldn't fly in middle America.

Yes, Ellen came out, but by that time subtle changes had happened in the culture that made it a little less risky to do something like that. And even that, the backlash was still there.

Furthermore

Everyone and their mother knows Arsenio is a fa*ggot. It’s always been an issue for him.

Arsenio was never a drug dealer. He said when he left the show, he wanted to focus on fatherhood. He said he had plenty of $$$, and that he was in a position to focus solely on being a father to his son.

That sounds like an excuse. And I don't think he was a dealer. An enabler? Perhaps.

Who mentioned tRump r63?

I listed closet cases damaging to the gay community.

Idiot.

Sorry, Vice President.

Because it makes more sense to compare a Vice President to the guy who gave us Beverly Hills Cop.

They've both probably been peed on by hookers.

Closeted gay men. Mike (former gay) Pence and Eddie Murphy. Both doing harm to our community.

Are you slow?

Look on the bright side: Chevy Chase only lasted a month.

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