Benham brothers lose HGTV show after 'anti-gay' remarks

[KevanG]

After checking the FB page, the sarcasm is strong with the posters there.

 

[charl_huntress]

Well I hope HGTV can withstand the loss of their "bible banging" audience and supplant them with a whole bunch of other people... Considering HGTV is the Home and Garden Network...lol... Let's just see how this works out for their bottom line.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Ya something tells me it's not going to hurt them at all

 

[charl_huntress]

How often you watch HGTV, DJ?

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Well not much anymore but at the last house I was at they watched it all the time. I know there are a lot of moms and wives that watch it but something tells me the majority of them wont stop watching it. It really is one of the only things on that I know they watch besides the soaps if they are into that

 

[charl_huntress]

HGTV Was Worried Audience Might Think Benham Brothers Were Gay

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blo...dience-might-think-benham-brothers-were-gay.h

Hours after cancelling a reality show about two brothers running a successful house-flipping business, HGTV revealed that the actual reason for the cancellation had nothing to do with revelations that the brothers, David and Jason Benham, were virulently homophobic.
“We have decided to cancel ‘Flip It Forward’ because David and Jason Benham just look so incredibly gay,” said Chip Fordew, an HGTV spokesperson. “Plus, they look like they’re together. And, by together, I mean that they have sex, trade off turns on the Pec Deck, go to Tulum at Christmas, and are adopting a baby.”
He pointed out that, while the network does have a very popular show called “Property Brothers,” also starring two brothers, it’s different. “They’re more into renovation than sales,” Fordew said. “Also, they don’t look like a gay couple.”
Fordew stressed that HGTV has no issue with featuring gay male couples, and pointed out that many members of the L.G.B.T. community were part of the network’s staff, programming, and audience. The problem with “Flip It Forward,” Fordew said, was one of confusion. “People don’t necessarily watch HGTV shows from beginning to end. They tune in and out while they’re doing other stuff. And we imagined our audience suddenly looking up at the television and being like, ‘Whoa. Those two gay guys are hot. How come they never take their shirts off?’ ‘How come they never drink Negronis during the day?’ ‘How come, when that one broke his arm, he just took Advil and his boyfriend never started screaming at him, “Why didn’t you make them write you a prescription for Fentanyl?!” ’ ‘Also, who are those chicks taking care of their kids for free? And why are they always pregnant?’ ”
There was also the problem of billboards and advertising. “We tested a few,” said Fordew. “Everyone was like, ‘We’re excited about that new show with that hot gay couple who look exactly like each other! When do they take off their shirts?’ ”
Asked about a rumor that the Benham brothers, when called at home and informed that HGTV would not be going forward with their show, began to argue about which of them looked more “more gay,” Fordew declined to comment.

Humor...

 

[Quasimod0]

Edit: Nvm, clearly not legit

 

[charl_huntress]

Hehe...sorry... I saw that and couldn't resist posting. Yet, in my opinion, this won't work out the way HGTV thinks. My opinion....

 

[Doctor Evo]

I made sure to go out of my way and "like" their Facebook page.

Edit: HGTV, not those other two morons.

 

[Lily Adler]

I fear many will probably think it's legit.

 

[Teelie]

At least it wasn't an Onion article. People still think that's a legitimate news source.

 

[KevanG]

They need to have "we're kidding" and "this is a joke" sprinkled throughout those articles and even then people still wouldn't read the whole thing.

 

[Mysteryman]

I think the article is over the top enough that people won't mistake it for the real thing, but you never know .

 

[Mysteryman]

Hehe...sorry... I saw that and couldn't resist posting. Yet, in my opinion, this won't work out the way HGTV thinks. My opinion....

You foresee another "Duck Dynasty" situation?

 

[Schlosser85]

Stories like this are a great big ball of "meh" to me.

Did anyone seriously expect the Duck Dynasty guys to be fans of The Gay? Because I was not remotely surprised at their comments.

Part of me dislikes firing people like this for their comments because it gives more ammunition to groups that cry about the "gay mafia".

What I really roll my eyes at is the Christian groups who run out in droves to fall all over these poor martyrs and make them their new poster boys.

I got dragged by my roommate to a Christian bookstore in the mall last week and they had a whole shelf devoted to Duck Dynasty. Seriously? Is there gonna be a new shelf for the Benham brothers now? It's all so laughably disingenuous and phony.

 

[Feenix]

At the end of the day, these guys expected their intolerance to be tolerated and then cried foul when it wasn't.

I have a hard time thinking that this wasn't part of the plan. Look at how much more publicity the Duck Dynasty guys got when they spewed their crap and got in trouble for it. These brothers will end up being martyrs, like Schlosser said, and instead of fading away into obscurity, they'll probably be the new poster boys for the religious and the fight against "The Gay."

 

[Schlosser85]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The Christian Right's hating on us is really annoying considering they use as such a gravy train.

It's like, a simple "thank you" would be nice.

I'm half-joking, of course, but only half.

 

[Apollo]

They also criticized the church, political correctness, Christian organizations, divorce, adulatory, pornography and Islam all in the same speeches. They are very outspoken individuals.

 

[C. Lee]

Am I the only one who thinks this should be PM'd to roughly 90% of banned people when they go?

I've said it to around a hundred posters over the years....usually just before they manage to get banned anyway.

 

[Pink Ranger]

I have to admit, even as a member of the LGBT community I feel the homophobia issue has become the new "moral panic." Now, it is important to note that the Benham brothers actually went a fair bit further than Duck Dynasty in terms of what they did; rather than opposing gays on a particular issue (like marriage or boy scouts or whatever) they went after gays as people. So they deserve whatever professional consequences arise from that.

But I think the situation with the Mozilla CEO went a bit too far, and set the bar way too low in terms of what level of purity of thought, word and deed the LGBT community is allowed to expect from companies in the private sector.

 

[KevanG]

I've said it to around a hundred posters over the years....usually just before they manage to get banned anyway.

But wouldn't it be easier to just PM that that with a 'get the hint?' first?

 

[C. Lee]

But wouldn't it be easier to just PM that that with a 'get the hint?' first?

You don't get my meaning....

Many many times a poster posts something wrong/offensive/rude/crude whatever....they get a warning, infraction, probation, deletion...and respond to that with - WHATEVER HAPPENED TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH?!?!?!?!?!?!

I then reply to them that "Freedom of Speech" means that there is an American law that says that you have the right to say bad things about the United States government without fearing being jailed and or executed for it like sometimes happens in other countries when it's citizens speak out against their government....freedom of speech does not mean you can say whatever the hell you want whenever you want wherever you want.

Sometimes they get it...sometimes this just sends them on offensive rants and they wind up banned.

 

[Teelie]

I have to admit, even as a member of the LGBT community I feel the homophobia issue has become the new "moral panic." Now, it is important to note that the Benham brothers actually went a fair bit further than Duck Dynasty in terms of what they did; rather than opposing gays on a particular issue (like marriage or boy scouts or whatever) they went after gays as people. So they deserve whatever professional consequences arise from that.

But I think the situation with the Mozilla CEO went a bit too far, and set the bar way too low in terms of what level of purity of thought, word and deed the LGBT community is allowed to expect from companies in the private sector.

It is far more acceptable and encouraged to speak out against this kind of speech. Where it was once not even thought of twice to casually speak racist language or refer to women in sexist terms, it's now frowned upon and speaking out against homosexuality is similarly becoming inappropriate.

Sometimes it will go too far, sometimes it won't go far enough in protesting the offense but eventually it will not be a common occurence. Just like it's no longer appropriate to use racist or sexist remarks in public and think no one will call you on it.

You don't get my meaning....

Many many times a poster posts something wrong/offensive/rude/crude whatever....they get a warning, infraction, probation, deletion...and respond to that with - WHATEVER HAPPENED TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH?!?!?!?!?!?!

I then reply to them that "Freedom of Speech" means that there is an American law that says that you have the right to say bad things about the United States government without fearing being jailed and or executed for it like sometimes happens in other countries when it's citizens speak out against their government....freedom of speech does not mean you can say whatever the hell you want whenever you want wherever you want.

Sometimes they get it...sometimes this just sends them on offensive rants and they wind up banned.

That and people forget just because you have a right to say something ugly, others have a right to speak back and say they don't like it.

Nowhere did it say you can say something and no one has a right to say something back in the Constitution. Although it is a moot point as you said. This isn't the government and it isn't covered by free speech laws.

 

[charl_huntress]

You foresee another "Duck Dynasty" situation?

Look how much more fame they have now. I had never heard of them before and I still don't watch their show...but I know their names.

 

[Slushy]

Freedom of speech, my ass! LOL