Jason Alexander Apologizes for Calling Cricket a 'Gay Game'

Jason Alexander has issued an apology for comments he made during an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on May 25.

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The Seinfeld actor was talking to host Ferguson about the game of cricket, and called it a “gay game.”

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“You know how I know it’s kind of really a gay game? It’s the pitch,” he said before doing an imitation of the motion. “It’s not like a manly baseball pitch. It’s a queer British gay pitch.”

On June 2, Alexander issued a lengthy apology for his comments. He said that after he made his comments, many people reached out on Twitter to tell him how offended they were by what he said. He admitted that at first, he did not understand why.  However, after talking to his gay friends, he said he figured it out.

“The problem is that today, as I write this, young men and women whose behaviors, choices or attitudes are not deemed “man enough” or “normal” are being subjected to all kinds of abuse from verbal to physical to societal. They are being demeaned and threatened because they don’t fit the group’s idea of what a ‘real man’ or a ‘real woman’ are supposed to look like, act like and feel like,” he said.

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“For these people, my building a joke upon the premise I did added to the pejorative stereotype that they are forced to deal with everyday. It is at the very heart of this whole ugly world of bullying that has been getting rightful and overdue attention in the media. And with my well-intentioned comedy bit, I played right into those hurtful assumptions and diminishments,” he said.

Alexander appeared on The Late Late Show to talk about the Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement, which he will receive on June 10 from the Actors Fund. He has served as artistic director of the Reprise Theatre Company in Los Angeles since 2007.

“I can only apologize and I do. In comedy, timing is everything. And when a group of people are still fighting so hard for understanding, acceptance, dignity and essential rights – the time for some kinds of laughs has not yet come. I hope my realization brings some comfort,” he concluded in his statement.