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J.K. Rowling -

J.K. Rowling has quite a long history of transphobic remarks, and she wasn't going to let International Women's Day pass without getting another jab in. The author took to Twitter to criticize the Scottish government over a proposed new bill that would allow transgender people to more easily change their gender on government documents. Her problem with the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which is supported by Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, is that it "will harm the most vulnerable women in society: those seeking help after male violence/[sexual assault] and incarcerated women,” Rowling posted on March 7, because she fears it will allow male predators to enter women’s facilities by simply declaring themselves transgender. 

After a tirade of tweets attacking both the Gender Recognition Reform Bill and Sturgeon, Rowling wrote on March 8: “Apparently, under a Labour government, today will become We Who Must Not Be Named Day,” referencing her long-held and highly controversial claim that transgender people are a threat to recognition of women.

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J.K. Rowling -

The author stirred another wave of backlash after sharing an article that objected to Scotland’s announced policy to classify rapists as women if they identify as such—one piece of the nation's larger transgender-inclusive legislation.  Invoking George Orwell’s dystopian novel '1984,' Rowling also wrote, "War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman."  

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Bette Midler -

In the wake of the US Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, Bette Midler took to Twitter to express her thoughts,  which she argues have been misconstrued as transphobic. The original tweet from July 4  read, "WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don't call us 'women' anymore; they call us 'birthing people' or 'menstruators', and even 'people with vaginas'! Don't let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!" Since the terms she mentioned are often used to be trans-inclusionary when speaking about who might need an abortion, many found it to be an anti-trans comment, to which Midler responded in a string of tweets the following day. She started out by saying her tweet was in response to a "fascinating and well written" opinion piece published by The New York Times titled "The Far Right and Far Left Agree on One Thing: Women Don't Count"— in which writer Pamela Paul writes that "the word 'women' has become verboten." Midler added, "There was no intention of anything exclusionary or transphobic in what I said; it wasn’t about that."

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Ricky Gervais -

In the wake of Dave Chappelle's backlash, Netflix and Ricky Gervais are not backing down. The British comedian's special 'SuperNature,' released May 24, features many offensive jokes taking aim at transgender women, including openly trans actress Eddie Izzard. Gervais spoke about trans women's physical appearances, remarking, "The new ones we've been seeing lately. The ones with beards and c—ks. They're as good as gold, I love them." And he harped on the "dominant mob" that would take offense at the statement, "Women don't have penises," while also referencing Kevin Hart's old homophobic tweets. 

He then ended the special by saying, "Full disclosure: In real life of course I support trans rights. I support all human rights, and trans rights are human rights. Live your best life. Use your preferred pronouns. Be the gender that you feel that you are. But meet me halfway, ladies: Lose the c—k. That's all I'm saying."

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Sam Elliott -

Sam Elliott slammed Jane Campion's 'Power of the Dog' on Marc Maron’s 'W T F Podcast,' calling it a "piece of s—t" and likening the characters to Chippendales dancers "who wear bowties and not much else. He criticized all the "allusions to homosexuality throughout the f—ing movie," and when Maron informed him that those allusions are actually "what the movie is about," the actor only came down harder. "Where's the Western in this Western?" he asked. He added that Campion was unfit to direct a film set in Montana in the early 20th century, asking "What the f—k does this woman from down there, New Zealand, know about the American West?" and then criticized her choice to shoot the film in her home country. 

Still not done, Elliott boasted about how he had just come from Texas where he'd been "hanging out with families—not men—but families," with generations of cowboys, and said, "And, boy, when I f—king saw that [movie], I thought, 'What the f—k? Where are we in this world today?'"

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Sam Elliott -

Not only were people online appalled at Elliott's homophobia and toxic masculinity (which, many pointed out, also proved how relevant the film still was to cowboy culture), but they also called him misogynistic and hypocritical to attack Campion for shooting a Western in New Zealand given US audiences’ love of Spaghetti Westerns, which were old cowboy movies shot in Italy. For all his complaining about how Campion's film portrays cowboys, Elliott accidentally promoted the film with his fuming response to it, and since Twitter always has the last word, many said that “someone probably needs to remind him he’s an actor from Sacramento who lives in Malibu, not an actual cowboy." Elliott has since apologized for his remarks.

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Brian May -

Queen guitarist Brian May came under fire after speaking to the UK’s The Mirror about the BRIT Awards' decision to remove gendered awards. From their conversation at ITV’s Palooza event, May was quoted as saying the decision was emblematic of a “frightening” trend, and he believes Queen would not have been considered diverse enough nowadays to have won their four BRIT Awards. “We would be forced to have people of different colours and different sexes and we would have to have a trans [person]. You know life doesn’t have to be like that. We can be separate and different.” He added, “It’s a decision that has been made without enough thought. A lot of things work quite well and can be left alone.” Following the backlash, May took to Instagram on November 28 and wrote, "I was ambushed and completely stitched up by a journalist at the recent ITV event. And it’s led to a whole mess of press stories making it look like I’m unfriendly to trans people. Nothing could be further from the truth. My words were subtly twisted. I should have known better than to talk to those predatory Press hacks." 

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Ingo Rademacher -

Soap opera star Ingo Rademacher was booted from the soap 'General Hospital' after 25 years for coming out with blatantly transphobic views on social media. He came under fire after retweeting an offensive post about Rachel Levine, a transgender woman who was named the new admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He was criticized for the post by many of his followers, including his transgender co-star Cassandra James. Rademacher made a three-minute video apologizing for the word "dude" in the post, but stood by the rest of its contents, stating that he didn't think it was okay to "call a transgender an empowered woman because where does that leave women?" Rademacher was subsequently fired from the show, which many say was a long time coming. 

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Boosie BadAzz -

Rapper Boosie BadAzz was back at his homophobia, directing numerous homophobic slurs at Lil Nas X yet again. He took to Twitter to tell the young, wildly famous star "do this world a huge favor" by killing himself, a tweet which was deleted by the social media platform, Advocate reports. This time, the attack came as a response to Lil Nas joking that the two were making a song together. 

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Margaret Atwood -

Margaret Atwood, author of 'The Handmaid's Tale,' is somewhat of a feminist hero, but she has made a few blunders in recent years. She shared an article on Twitter entitled “Why can’t we say ‘woman’ anymore?” The op-ed piece was written by a problematic journalist called Rosie DiManno who has expressed a number of outdated and offensive views in the past, including mocking a male survivor of sexual abuse for coming forward and has been known to use derogatory terms for Black and Indigenous people. Atwood spoke out against fellow author J.K. Rowling's transphobic comments in the past, but the sharing of this highly problematic article with her two million Twitter follows has led many to question her views. 

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Dave Chappelle - Jokes at the expense of LGBTQ people have long been a part of Dave Chappelle's stand-up routine, yet many folks thought his return to the spotlight would signal a change. Then came his 2019 Netflix special 'Sticks & Stones,' in which one highlight includes Chappelle saying that transgender people "hate my f—king guts, and I don’t blame them" because "I can’t stop writing jokes" about them. He continued this trend with his 2021 special 'The Closer,' in which he stated that "gender is a fact" and claimed that LGBT people are too sensitive. Celebrities have spoken out against Chappelle on all sides and Netflix employees have staged protests against their employer for streaming the special. 

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Jon Gruden -

Jon Gruden had already landed himself in hot water with a racist email he sent in 2011 directed at NFL Players Association president DeMaurice Smith, but a report by The New York Times revealed that the Las Vegas Raiders head coach has also used homophobic slurs in his emails. According to TMZ, Gruden targeted Roger Goodell in several instances—including writing that Goodell should not have pressured former NFL coach, Jeff Fisher, to draft "q*eers" in 2014—as well as using other offensive language to describe NFL owners, coaches, and also Caitlyn Jenner after she received an award from ESPN in 2015 following her transition. In the wake of all the backlash, Gruden released a statement on October 11 officially resigning from his position as head coach. 

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Matt Damon -

Damon made waves with a story he volunteered to the The Sunday Times in August 2021, revealing that he had to be taught by his children not to use homophobic slurs—and that he learned this lesson just months prior. The actor shared that during a meal with his wife and three daughters, who are aged 15, 12, and 10, he used an offensive slur as a "joke" and upset his children. “The word that my daughter calls the ‘f-slur for a homosexual’ was commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application,” he told the outlet. “I made a joke, months ago, and got a treatise from my daughter. She left the table.” He tried to explain that it was a joke and that he'd said it in his 2003 film 'Stuck on You.' “She went to her room and wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous. I said, ‘I retire the f-slur!’ I understood.” Unfortunately, what he thought was a charming anecdote has upset many people who took to Twitter to criticize the actor for his long-standing ignorance. 

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DaBaby -

Rapper DaBaby disappointed many of his fans at the Rolling Loud music festival with ignorant and homophobic comments during his set. He told the crowd to put their phones up if they "didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks." He later defended his actions by saying he wasn't accusing his gay fans of having AIDS, because his fans have class and aren't "nasty gay n****s." Rapper T.I. also threw himself into the mess by defending DaBaby. He claimed that if a gay performer like Lil Nas X can have the freedom to express himself the way he does, then so should DaBaby, adding "#equality." Real nice.

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Kid Rock -

Kid Rock was filmed by fans going on a homophobic rant during a performance. The clip shows Rock annoyed with fans who are filming him, and he starts his offensive rant with, “F—k your iPhone” and then repeats, "You can post this" while gesturing to his crotch. Then he turns his rage to the crowd and barks,  “You f–king f—–ts with your iPhones out!" before the video cuts out. This kind of homophobic language isn't new for Rock, as Taste of Country pointed out that in 2015,  he told the Guardian that rap-rock “turned into a lot of bulls–t” and “pretty gay,” and then tried to defend his derogatory language. “If someone says you can’t say ‘gay’ like that you tell them to go f–k themselves.” 

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Caitlyn Jenner -

After announcing her plan to run for California Governor, Caitlyn Jenner took a controversial stance against trans girls being allowed to compete in all-girls school sports, telling TMZ on May 1, "It just isn’t fair. And we have to protect girls' sports in our schools." Later in the day, she reiterated her opinion. Her remarks brought on a wave of backlash from transgender activists and members of the LGBTQ+ community, including 'Transparent' alum Trace Lysette, who  tweeted, "When you're on hormones and or blockers there is not an advantage. I ran track at the club level with college girls and trust me there is no advantage. I would have went pro if I was able to run the times I ran before hormones etc."

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Kevin Durant -

NBA star Kevin Durant came under fire for a heated text conversation with actor and sports podcaster Michael Rapaport which was laden with homophobic, misogynistic, and profane language. Rapaport posted screenshots of the messages on March 30, in which the Brooklyn Nets forward threw insults at him, threatened him, brought up his wife, and invited him to fight. Durant tweeted back, "Me and mike talk CRAZIER than this on the regular and today he’s p*ssed....My bad mike, damn!!"

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Justin Thomas -

Pro golfer Justin Thomas apologized after a broadcast microphone caught his use of an anti-gay slur during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on January 9, after he'd missed a 5-foot look at par on the fourth hole. "First off, I just apologize," Thomas said, according to the AP. "There's absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that. It's terrible. I'm extremely embarrassed. It's not who I am; it's not the kind of person that I am or anything that I do. Unfortunately, I did it, and I have to own up to it, and I'm very apologetic."

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John Cleese -

John Cleese caused backlash for his transphobic comments and his support of repeat offender J.K. Rowling on Twitter. “Deep down, I want to be a Cambodian police woman. Is that allowed, or am I being unrealistic?” he tweeted in response to someone who asked why he couldn’t “just let people be who they want to be.”

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John Cleese - In addition to signing a letter of support for J.K. Rowling, Cleese also later tweeted, "I’m afraid I’m not that interested in trans folks.” For someone who isn't interested, he continued to share his unsolicited opinions.

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Hartley Sawyer -

Hartley Sawyer was a cast member on 'The Flash' for three seasons. He was fired from The CW show after racist, misogynistic, and homophobic tweets of his, which he made between 2012 and 2014, resurfaced. Sawyer apologized on Instagram, after deleting his Twitter account.

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Chris Martin - We probably wouldn't even know about the Coldplay front man's homophobic past if not for him opening up about it. "When I went to boarding school, I walked a bit funny and I bounced a bit and I was also very homophobic because I was like, 'If I'm gay, I'm completely f—ked for eternity' and I was a kid discovering sexuality," he told Rolling Stone.

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Azealia Banks - The '212' rapper has been accused of homophobia on several occasions. In late October 2019, she apologized for one of those instances, only to lash out again in early December. "I love the gays and love how much y’all love me but I really have to eject. I think you guys are into a lot of sh*t/people I just don’t find value in," she wrote on Instagram. "So, gays… I bid you adieu…"

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Shane Gillis - Shane Gillis got his first taste of fame for all the wrong reasons. He was confirmed as part of the cast of 'Saturday Night Live' for the 2019/2020 season, only for homophobic and racist slurs from his past to come back and haunt him.

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Kevin Hart -

Of course, we can't talk comedian career nosedives over accusations of homophobia without mentioning Kevin Hart. He lost his job hosting the Oscars after old homophobic tweets resurfaced in 2018. What's more, he refused to genuinely apologize for the remarks.

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Chelsea Handler - Wishing to defend Hart, fellow comedian Nick Cannon decided to dig up old homophobic tweets from famous white female comedians, pointing to a double standard. Chelsea Handler, for instance, tweeted in 2010: "This is what a f—king bird [looks] like when he flexes."

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Sarah Silverman - Cannon's next target? Sarah Silverman. In 2010, she tweeted: "I dont mean this in a hateful way but the new bachelorette's a f*ggot."

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Amy Schumer - Finally, he came after Amy Schumer. "Enjoy skyfall f*gs. I'm bout to get knee deep in Helen Hunt #thesessions," she tweeted in 2012.

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Eddie Murphy - All this renewed focus on comedians with homophobic material also put the largely beloved Eddie Murphy under the spotlight. His famed stand-up specials 'Delirious' and 'Raw' from the '80s included such jokes. What makes Murphy different, however, is that in September 2019 he apologized for them.

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Travis Scott - If comedians have quite the history with homophobia and transphobia, rappers aren't far behind. For instance, in 2018 Travis Scott was accused of transphobia after he edited out transgender model Amanda Lepore from his album cover for 'Astroworld.'

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Eminem -

Eminem's been accused of homophobia since pretty much the beginning of his career, and he's a known repeat offender. But did his recent comeback signal a change? Not so much. He came under fire in 2018 for calling Tyler, the Creator a "f*ggot" on the song 'Fall.'

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50 Cent - Eminem's musical protégé 50 Cent has also been accused of homophobia. Which is potentially more surprising because his mom is known to be a lesbian. One episode included a 2010 tweet where the rapper states: "If you a man and [you're] over 25 and you don't eat pu**y just kill your self damn it. The world will be a better place. Lol."

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Snoop Dogg - The iconic rapper caused a stir in 2015 when he shared a post on Instagram calling Caitlyn Jenner a "science project."

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Chris Brown - Accused of homophobia on several occasions, the musician kicked it up a notch in 2010 when he tweeted "d**k in da a** lil boy" to rapper Raz-B, formerly of B2K. This was in regards to Raz claiming he had been sexually abused when he was younger by B2K's manager, Chris Stokes.

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Liam Gallagher - Known for his volatile nature, the Oasis front man had this to say about Russian soccer fans in 2016: "Russian hooligans skintight shorts bumbags b*tty boy muscles ha ha I’d be more worried bout getting me ar*e pinched."

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Kim Kardashian -

Kim K was accused of homophobia after she implied on social media that model and actor Tyson Beckford was gay, this after he criticized her looks. “Sis we all know why you don’t care for it," she wrote, also including a nail polish emoji.

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Paris Hilton - Kim Kardashian's friend and fellow socialite Paris Hilton has also been in the hot seat for similar reasons. In 2012, a recording was leaked in which she made homophobic remarks. She could be heard saying that gay men are "disgusting" and that "most of them probably have AIDS."

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Mel Gibson -

Of course, actors aren't immune to making homophobic comments. It was only in 2010 that a 1991 interview from Mel Gibson really picked up steam. In it he says, "They take it up the a**... this is only for taking a sh*t." He added, "With this look, who's going to think I'm gay? I don't lend myself to that type of confusion. Do I look like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?"

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Isaiah Washington -

Isaiah Washington was at the height of his career when he became a Hollywood pariah after an argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey on the set of 'Grey's Anatomy' in 2006. He went as far as using a gay slur, which prompted another co-star, T.R. Knight, to come out publicly soon after.

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Jonah Hill -

In 2014, the actor had this to say to a paparazzo: "Suck my d**k, you f*ggot!" He then apologized on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.' We sure hope he meant it, since his sister, actress Beanie Feldstein, came out.

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Alec Baldwin -

Alec Baldwin certainly has his moments. In 2013, he went after a tabloid writer who wrote an unfavorable story about his wife, Hilaria. "I’m gonna find you, George Stark, you toxic little queen, and I’m gonna f—k… you… up,” tweeted Baldwin, adding, "[I'd] put my foot up your f—king a**, George Stark, but I’m sure you’d dig it too much."

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Drake Bell -

The former Nickelodeon star is yet another celeb who poked fun at Caitlyn Jenner, tweeting in 2015: "sorry… still calling you Bruce."

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Kirk Cameron - Star of the '80s sitcom 'Growing Pains,' Kirk Cameron has since become known as quite the conservative celebrity. On 'Piers Morgan Tonight' in 2012, he shared that he believes homosexuality is "unnatural… I think it’s detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization."

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Howard Stern - He's changed his tune since the early '90s, but in 1990 radio shock jock Howard Stern did say that when it comes to lesbians, he "probably could cure 'em forever," as well as claiming that gay men enjoy being hit and tortured.

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Evander Holyfield - Unfortunately athletes are not always the best examples either. In 2014, legendary boxer Evander Holyfield claimed that homosexuality could be "fixed," this on the UK edition of 'Celebrity Big Brother.' "Yes it is a choice, come on, that ain’t the way nobody is made," he also expressed.

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Manny Pacquiao - Manny Pacquiao is yet another world famous boxer accused of homophobia, though his remarks were much stronger. "Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female,” he said in 2016. "Do you see animals mating with the same sex? If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals." 

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Israel Folau - In April 2019, star Australian rugby player Israel Folau made quite the lengthy post on Instagram, which included the following: "Warning – Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolaters. HELL AWAITS YOU. REPENT! ONLY JESUS SAVES." He was actually sacked as a result, but in early December he reached a settlement with Rugby Australia.

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Anita Bryant - The American singer and anti-gay rights activist will always be seen as one of the greatest enemies of the early gay rights movement in the United States. Here's just one of her comments, made in 1977: "If gays are granted rights, next we’ll have to give rights to [sex workers] and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters."

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Donna Summer -

"It was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve," the late Donna Summer allegedly said at a 1983 concert. In another instance, she reportedly said: "I’ve seen the evil homosexuality come out of you people… AIDS is your sin… Now don’t get me wrong, God loves you. But not the way you are now." She repeatedly denied the comments. Truth or fiction, they didn't stop hits like 'Last Dance' from becoming gay anthems.

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Ronald Reagan - The former actor had called gay people "sick unfortunates" before he was elected President of the United States. And once president, he chose to ignore the AIDS crisis, only giving a formal speech in 1987, after thousands had already died.

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Tony Curtis & Ernest Borgnine - For some reason, esteemed actors Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine launched a campaign against 'Brokeback Mountain' (2005) during its Oscar run. They insisted they never watched the film, but that didn't stop Curtis from claiming "Howard Hughes and John Wayne wouldn’t like it." For his part, Borgnine commented: "If John Wayne were alive he’d be rolling over in his grave."

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John Wayne -

Curtis and Borgnine might have been right. A 1971 Playboy interview has revealed John Wayne's racist and homophobic views. One such comment was that 'Midnight Cowboy' (1969) was "a story about two f*gs."

See also: John Wayne, the Wild West's favorite movie star.

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