There’s a bit of a comments war raging at gay-oriented blog Towleroad over an elaborate sketch from last night’s Oscars after-show. The video in question was the latest installment in a running joke on Kimmel’s ABC late-night show: recently his girlfriend Sarah Silverman brought in a video in which she announced she’s “f***ing Matt Damon,” with the Bourne star himself providing backup vocals. Kimmel scoring (with) Affleck was the only logical response, of course, but they really stepped up the production values, recruiting a slew of stars in a “We Are the World”-style sing-along: Robin Williams, Huey Lewis, Josh Groban?! It wasn’t quite as funny as Silverman’s bit (which twirled wildly through a pastiche of pop culture and musical references) and relied mostly on the shock value of its guest cameos, but some viewers are also finding that certain parts of the video crossed the line into homophobia. Kimmel and Affleck are dressed in ridiculous outfits that include skimpy jean shorts and a metallic green t-shirt, and they paint their toenails at what appears to be a gay tiki bar. While late-night comedy sketches aren’t exactly, you know, hate-crimes legislation, and I typically side with comedians rather than the easily-offended, this one does bring up the question of how to tell when stereotypes are being mocked and when they’re being exploited. Watch both Silverman/Damon’s and Kimmel/Affleck’s after the jump, and then commenters, rant away: are we watching a troubling bit of subtle gaysploitation, or should the PC police chill out and realize that laughing at stereotypes defuses them? And in general, how many times funnier is Sarah Silverman than Jimmy Kimmel?
Sarah Silverman: “I’m F***ing Matt Damon”
Jimmy Kimmel: “I’m F***ing Ben Affleck”
Photo courtesy ABC
