Oliver Callan,Denies Homophobia, Comes Out On Live Television
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Over the weekend Oliver Callan, the Irish satirist and impressionist most famous for his "Nob Nation" and "Green Tea" radio shows, which poke fun at politicians and celebrities, appeared on Ireland's "The Saturday Night Show."
Callan has been making headlines in Ireland due to a controversy over several parodies of media personalities like Kerry GAA football star Paul Galvin that many have labeled homophobic.
Galvin himself said that watching Callan's impression of him – which implied that the reason the football star is such a fashion plate is all the years he's spent in the closet -- "on the couch with his parents" made for "the most excruciating night of his life."
Most expected Callan to appear on "The Saturday Night Show" to defend his sketches, however, they probably didn't expect him to go about it in exactly the way he did -- by coming out on live television.
When asked about the accusations of homophobia, Callan responded, "Let's get one thing straight, I'm not homophobe because I'm gay. Big deal!"
When pressed by the host of "The Saturday Night Show" with the comment "I think a lot of people will be surprised," the comedian responded, "Why? Judges do it. Actors do it. Teachers do it. Farmers do it," which triggered a huge round of applause from the studio audience.
Callan added, "I'm not going around singing about how I'm gay and I'm proud. I'm gay and I don't really give a shit to be honest."
Speaking about coming out, he said, once you're finally out of the closet you think "what was the fuss about there?…I try to have a laugh about it to get rid of the intolerance… try to normalize it a little bit."
In response to the Galvin controversy, the Mirror reports Callan said:
"I mean is it so horrendous to him that people might speculate wrongly that he's gay just for wearing man bags? "Paul Galvin claims he felt it was excruciatingly difficult to watch me poke fun at his fashion sense and him throwing shapes around Manhattan with a T-shirt that had a neckline down to his nipples… Straight men should not be insulted to be sent up like a gay."
