The Celebrity Truth

Updated: Late night talk show host Jay Leno has sparked controversy when he asked a guest, actor Ryan Phillippe, to give the camera his "gayest look", resulting in a website protest against the comedian.

Phillippe was on the show promoting his new movie ‘Stop-Loss’ when Leno, who was joking around, said to the actor, "Can you give me your gayest look?  Say that camera is Billy Bob.  Billy Bob has just ridden in shirtless from Wyoming."

The young actor replied, "Wow. That is so something I don’t want to do. Are you just going to embarrass me tonight or…?"

Many viewers watching the segment were unimpressed with Leno’s comments, such as Jeff Whitty, a "playright and huge homo". He has started a website called MyGayestLook.com that asks people to photograph themself giving the camera the middle finger in protest to Leno’s comments.

"While we’re being a bit cheeky about all this, our message is dead serious: A 2005 study by GLSEN found that 90% of LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning) teens had been harassed or assaulted during the previous year," Whitty writes.

"Gay jokes are not harmless; they contribute to a culture in which institutionalized homophobia has tragic consequences. We want Jay Leno to know that we, LGBTQ people and their allies, are not amused."

Update: Leno has issued a statement apologizing for the comments saying, "In talking about Ryan’s first role [as a gay teen in the soap 'One Life To Live'], I realize that what I said came out wrong."

"I certainly didn’t mean any malice.  I agree it was a dumb thing to say, and I apologize."

Watch a video of the segment below.

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Photo courtesy of NBC. Taken by Kevin Foley.