One of the Tom Cruise stories that has always stuck with me is Bronson Pinchot’s assessment of Cruise as a young man, when they worked together on Risky Business. In a 2009 tell-all interview with The AV Club, Pinchot described a 20-year-old Tom Cruise this way:
“He was tense and made constant, constant unrelated homophobic comments, like, ‘You want some ice cream, in case there are no gay people there?’ I mean, his lingo was larded with the most… There was no basis for it. It was like, ‘It’s a nice day, I’m glad there are no gay people standing here.’ Very, very strange.”
[Via previous Celebitchy story]
I was reminded of that story this morning because Page Six has a very interesting piece about Tom’s son Connor. Connor is 17 years old, and I have mixed feeling about Connor being the subject of this gossip piece, but in my defense, Connor seems to want to be a public figure – he’s using his Hollywood connections to launch himself as a DJ. Anyway, Connor is a Patriots fan, and his rep, Todd Krim, is not. When the Pats lost, Krim sent his client a playfully gloating text. And Connor responded with a homophobic hissy fit.
Gisele Bundchen isn’t the only sore loser left cursing after the New England Patriots’ crushing loss at the hands of the Giants. Connor Cruise — a die-hard Patriots fan and the DJ son of Tom Cruise — lashed out at one of his reps, Todd Krim, who tweeted after the game, “Sorry @TheConnorCruise maybe next year!!!”
According to an e-mail forwarded to publicists by Krim, Cruise, 17, texted him back, saying, “That was a gay ass [bleeping] tweet . . . U don’t say [bleep] like that about my team the second they lose. Low.”
When Krim — who heads entertainment/ charity Web site Give Back Hollywood and helped book DJ gigs for Cruise — wrote back, “Umm ok . . . Dude I was [bleeping] joking,” Cruise responded, “That was [bleeped]” and “Idgaf” (“I don’t give a [bleep]).”
Cruise and Krim were both in Indy where Cruise DJed DirecTV’s Saturday night party. Krim says the Twitter tantrum ended their professional relations, while sources close to Cruise say they’d parted ways weeks ago.
On Monday, Krim e-mailed colleagues with a screen grab of Cruise’s texts, saying, “I am no longer working with Connor Cruise. In fact, I am no longer speaking with [him] . . . I refuse to be professionally (or even personally) associated with someone that engages in this sort of behavior . . . I just thought you should know who and what you’re dealing with.”
He called Cruise’s comments, “highly offensive and what I consider homophobic . . . after I jokingly tweeted about the Patriots losing.”
Krim told us, “I did a lot for [Connor], and he was less than respectful and appreciative… I made a joke, and let’s just say his reaction was not what I expected. It’s disappointing when you think someone is one way and they turn out to be another.”
Cruise told Page Six through his rep: “What I texted was unacceptable. It is not a reflection of who I am and what I feel, and it certainly won’t happen again.”
[From Page Six]
It sounds like the Cruise camp has mixed feelings about how to handle this – Connor apologized through his reps, and yet this line is still included: “Krim says the Twitter tantrum ended their professional relations, while sources close to Cruise say they’d parted ways weeks ago.” That’s a classic “this dude has an axe to grind, that’s why he’s making up this story” tactic. With Connor’s apology, it looks like Krim’s account is likely pretty accurate. So that means Connor is a chip off the old block, right?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Bleh. I want to bash him just because he’s a Cruise, but he’s probably just a teenager that still uses the term “gay” without having any homophobic attachment to it.
Agreed.
This is the type of awareness moment where kids need to stop using that term.
My husband hired a 21 year old guy to help him at his business and he refers to everything as “gay.” It drives me nuts. He is a former religious fanatic (so I’m guessing that has something to do with it), but one of his roommates is gay, and I’m sure it has to make him feel uncomfortable.
Are you from a small town? I am… and I got in the habit of saying it in high school. But I also didn’t know a SINGLE openly gay person, and didn’t realize how offensive it was. To me it didn’t have anything to do with gay bashing- it was just a word. Once I went to University I dropped using it that way all together, after making a good number of gay friends. But you said that the guy has a gay roommate- so I guess he’s just an idiot.
@Erinn, my husband and I aren’t, but the young employee is. His roommates used to alternate dropping him off at work after his second DUI (which pretty much confirms he’s an idiot) and, when I meant his roommate, I asked our employee how his friend felt about using the term “that’s so gay.” The employee had no idea that his roommate was gay, until he came out 2 weeks later! The employee was fine with it. However, he STILL says “that’s gay.” It’s obviously reflexive at this point but it’s still offensive, even if it isn’t meant to be hurtful. I’m glad you realized that it’s not a proper way to express your dislike for something.
I don’t think it has anything to do with small towns. Kids in Boulder, CO (liberal college town, fairly large sized and part of a fairly large metropolitan area) say it.
“It’s gay”, used as an insult, is definitely part of the lexicon of that age group. My son uses it and I am constantly correcting him. He has agreed that it is wrong, but it still comes out of his mouth, because it is reflexive now, but he is working on it.
Agreed.
Sounds like a TEEN who totally lost his temper. Teens aren’t exactly known for having a lot of self-control.
And people go absolutely wild when their sports teams lose. So I’m not sure that it would reflect on his feelings about gays, just his rage about the Patriots’ loss.
Meanwhile, I understand his rep’s anger but again, this is a TEEN we’re talking about and I think it was incredibly unprofessional of the rep. to post Connor’s response to his goading tweet over the Patriot’s loss. Would have been better for the rep. to email Connor in private and tell him how upset he was with Connor’s choice of language and why he felt it was wrong.
I’m a teen (ugh :/ :cry:) and I know better than to say stuff like that. I mean, come on! No reason to insult when someone is joking. He could’ve laughed it off. It was only a game and there will be lots more to come. Argh. Young people and there lack of realizing there will be consequences for their actions *hangs head in shame*. Can’t believe we’re from the same generation.
Agree with Capella on the comment below.
@asli, you appear to be wise beyond your years. Your insightful responses would indicate you’re much older. You sound like a pretty great young adult and not at all like a “teen” 😄
@Mort – Thanks so much! I’ve always felt older than I am and people always think I’m older whenever they talk to me 😛 I’ve had a rough childhood but I’m so grateful I’m not Gisele or Scarlett for that matter. If I didn’t have my smarts I don’t know what I’d do. I’m pretty sure none of us on this site would trade places with these celebrities for the world. It’s nice to live in the real world.
Seriously?! The kid is 17! Old enough to know that actions have consequences and that a sports team losing isn’t exactly the end of the world. Not to mention that being Tom Cruise’s son should have given him a bit of an idea that things he says may be made public.
Teens aren’t wild animals, they are beings capable of rational thought when they aren’t spoiled and excused beyond redemption.
This is why teenage celebrities should lock down their Twitter accounts. I think his reaction to Krim’s very mild tweet was way out of proportion, but teenagers are stupid that way. I bet his “church” leaders went into an emergency meeting right after that to determine if Cruise Jr.’s going to be a “problem.”
Those old Tom Cruise stories sound so weird. I don’t understand why people can’t be pissed of without using gay slurs.
No doubt every anti-gay slur out of Tom’s mouth was uttered with the wish that he could unmake himself being gay. But it doesn’t work that way. The worse Tom got with his anti-gay talk, the more closeted he became, yet he was still gay.
And what do you expect from somebody who spends 24/7 with Tom Cruise?
To be actually quite tolerant because of his father’s not-so-secret lifestyle!
The homophobic words Tom Cruise had uttered where in the late 70’s, early 80’s. We were ALL idiots back then, and quite ignorant and homophobic.
We’ve come a long way baby! Even though Scientology still promises to cure your from “Homosexuality”, as a DJ, AND Tom Cruise’s son, you would have to learn from an early age how to
1- Control your public image
2- Be tolerant of the diverse workers around you, so you know, you could OBVIOUSLY work on recruiting them later on for the COS. Duh!
But hey, this sounds like another entitled-elitist Hollywood Brat.
Let’s see how Baby Rose turns out in comparison!
IDK, say what you will but Connor is still a kid with a teen’s brain. Do you expect a whole lot from a teen’s brain? Sometimes you get a whole lot out of it and other times – stuff like this.
Plus, man, hell hath no fury like the rage of sports fans scorned. People have actually killed one another after an important sports tournament. Or beat each other up. It’s not a good time to get all up and in their faces. I don’t understand it, I just sit back and watch, amazed.
@Petunia, I get what you are saying, but I believe the contrary: In 2012, big-city kids are raised with much more awareness about sexuality, and choices, than small-town kids.
In the acting, and DJing industries, you have a higher percentage of openly gay men and women working with you, and around you, on a daily basis. I doubt Bruce Willis’ daughters are stating crap like that. No matter how tacky they are. And doubt any of the kids attending high-schools in the area are allowed to utter that kind of crap in class. The adjectives gay and fag are streaming out of today’s kids vocabulary.
In big cities anyways. And I live in one, where people just stay the eff out of everybody else’s business.
@ Capella – Cosign…first thing I thought when I read this “Over-privileged brat”.
@DrM – especially when the guy he sent the comment to is officially out of the closet.
Would you call anything your out-of-the-closet colleague does: Gay? Doubtful!
Which is the scientology position about homosexuality? Because this kid was raised by scientology so…
I was thinking about that too. Scientology considers homosexuality to be a deviant act that needs to be corrected. No wonder ScientoloKids use such slur.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_and_sexual_orientation
I wonder if that’s why so many ScientoloStars are actually so very gay and so not proud of it. I guess Scientology keeps an endless file about their sexcapades and threatens them with it. Which would not happen if they were, you know, open about their sexuality?
Yes, it’s kept in a file amongst their other “crimes”.
Yikes. This aspect of the slur is a lot more threatening than the use of the slur as an average kid would utter it (without homophobic meaning.) Scientologists are a scary bunch. I’m not sure why a closeted gay would turn to them for help, given how the CoS keeps everything you do on file. What a despicable organization.
I guess given the CoS background, Connor could have a lot of issues with gays. Ironic, considering Tom’s
I must have run out of characters on the last message.
What I wanted to say is that Connor’s words are ironic, given Tom’s sexual orientation.
If the rumours about John Travolta are to be believed, almost any position you can think of!
In this case it’s sounds like CC is less homophobic and more like an aggressive, over-entitled brat.
Ditto. Not that I’m excusing his use of the word “gay” as a perjorative, but unfortunately a lot of teens do that nowadays. It’s his snotty, entitled attitude that really gets me. His team lost so he can be obnoxious to someone who’s making a friendly little joke about it? It’s a stupid football game, moron, chill out. There’ll be another chance next year.
Scilons hate gays. Certain of L. Ron and D. Misgavidge’s relatives are gay and they were not allowed in the church. One of them committed suicide, I believe, because of it. I’d have to look it up again to see who and can’t at the moment.
L Ron Hubbards’ son was Gay & commited suicide.
Damn double post
eh. sorry but for the last 30 yrs gay has also been used in slang to mean “ridiculous,” or the like. I grew up saying things like, “OMG those pants are SO GAY,” and it had NOTHING to do with orientation.
This kid is only 17. I have a 17 year old daughter. We live in the suburbs and she knows damn well that the word “gay” is not to be used that way. Ever.
when i said “the last 30 years” i meant that’s at least when i know it started and it has continued thru out. your daughter may not use it but it could also be a more regional type thing, too. language varies from region to region as well as in various socioeconomic classes, etc. i’m not offended by ‘gay’ or ‘retarded,’ as i can appreciate they’re not meant having anything to do with an ACTUAL gay orientation or mental incapacity.
That’s the problem though. People use it in a negative way. ‘Ridiculous’ is giving it the nicest explanation. Mostly people use it in a form of “that’s stupid” “that’s shitty” “that sucks” etc. It’s linking the negative connotations to people.
And before that it meant joyful or happy. No offense, but I fail to see your point as the meaning has shifted numerous times over the past century. What it meant 30, 50, or 100 years ago is irrelevant terms of its very negative modern context, unless we’re looking at etymology. :/
most of the adults I know who use it, use it to mean “twee” or a little corny/silly just off enough to be queer (which is another term for gay)
this is a group of people that is mixed (straight, gay) but it was part of our vernacular and, to be honest, it’s kind of funny to watch us try to describe something that “gay” would be used and understood for. It usually ends up with the person saying “I know, it’s a little. . .” trailing off with an “uh” and a shrug because we know the reaction people will have to it.
And that was then, and this is now. It’s time the word was in the same category as the Not Cool Anymore To Fling About Words: N-word, the R-word, et al.
CONNOR is the biological son of TOM CRUISE.
TOM had a surrogate chick on the side.
Yeah, I think so too. His nose and smile are all Tom.
Is this a conspiracy theory? I was always under the impression that Conner and Isabelle were adopted, not conceived via surrogacy.
Oh honey, thats what they want you to believe. 😉
Man I am looking at this kid and I keep trying to figure out who he looks like. He DOES look like Tom. I assumed they adopted… but who knows!
Just because his face has a chiseled look to his chin and a nice smile does not mean the mouth matches (it doesn’t), the chin matches (it doesn’t) or the eyes match (they don’t).
If you just saw him on the street & didn’t know he was Cruise’s adopted son, would you think, “Hey, that guy looks like Tom Cruise!”
I do pick up on something Cruise-like about his appearance, but I think it might just be similar facial expressions, demeanor, gestures, ways of holding one’s body, etc. (i.e. things that kids often pick up from the parents they grow up with).
I think you nailed it.
No, both Connor and Isabella are adopted.
I really thought he is a nice, cute kid and I had high hopes for him. But now.. he seems spoiled and rude.
And the thing with Tom’s gay comments, I guess that was his way to show : I am NOT gay..AT ALL. Sure Tommy-girl..SURE!
Ummmm…yeah. SO not impressed with him…AT ALL. He can be impressed with himself enough for ALL of us….
And I’m sure he will be. Looks like he’s turning into another entitled Hollywood kid just like the rest of them.
I find most teens throw around the term “That’s gay” without really thinking about the meaning behind it.
Not saying it’s right, but don’t think we need to necessarily lynch the guy yet.
I agree. This is, sadly, how teenagers talk. Tempest in a teapot. I imagine this is exactly what the average 17 year old kid’s twitter feed sounds like.
Then again, if Connor is going to be a celebrity, he doesn’t get to be an average 17 year old boy, does he?
I have gay friends who’ll use the word that way. I can see it being called offensive or demeaning, but I think the word “homophobic” is being misused here. (Whereas the Tom quotes seem homophobic.) But then I’m the kind of person who gets annoyed at people not recognizing the difference between “cursing”, “swearing”, and “vulgarity”.
wait – what’s the difference between cursing and swearing? I’m Canadian and almost never say ‘cursing’, so I just figured they were the same.
Anyways, I have to sadly agree. It certainly doesn’t make it ok, but this is the kind of thing teenagers say. My nephew sometimes says it, and he loves his gay aunts. He just doesn’t think.
Though I can’t get behind CiCi’s attempt to convince us the word has been reclaimed to mean ridiculous. That is such a cop out. Everyone knows damn well what it means and the reason they started using it that way was as an insult.
Jay, I absolutely agree. I’ve had issue with this for a long time. “Homophobic” would mean a fear of homosexuals. When kids use the slang word “gay”, they are not expressing fear of homosexuals, so why do people jump on that? It’s actually they who give negative power to the word “gay” (which actually means ‘merry’ or ‘lively’).
Stop freaking out about the word, disregard the ignorant who use it improperly and eventually those who try to use it haphazardly or try to be insulting will have no choice but to learn big boy (and girl) words.
Political correctness is a disease that has created more problems than fixed. People, live your lives and treat others as you would have them treat you. Quit worrying about what the hell others think of you. There will always be morons who will try and find ways to push your buttons. If you give in to them, you are giving credence to their words and actions.
I’d like to know the difference between cursing, swearing and vulgarity (?)
someone with some reason and compassion…
why are we lynching young adults for bad behavior?
he’s a child…he will learn and grow up like we all had too.
now, we have ridiculous comments from the son too??? it is enough just having the father around. gimme a break.
To use the term “gay” in a derogatory sense is not right and should be called out as such. Though I think some people use it reflexively without thinking about the homophobic implications.
I think to describe what Connor wrote as a “homophobic rant” is a little over-the-top and not entirely accurate. Though he sounds kind of douchey for getting so bent out of shape over a harmless tweet. But maybe his former rep has heard Connor make homophobic comments before so he saw more in his “that’s gay” comment than thoughtless immaturity.
It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if he grew up to be a huge homophobe. The Church of Scientology is hardly gay-friendly & his father is (possibly) the world’s biggest closet case.
I had already lost all respect for this kid when I found out that his DJ name is DJ C-Squared… So embarrassingly bad.
agreed. sooo lame.
I hardly call what Connor said a “homophobic” rant…teens, unfortunately use the word gay a lot, meaning stupid…they shouldn’t, but to call this a rant is wrong…just a dumb teen…
Even if this kid used the term “without any meaning behind it” (although there is clearly a negative meaning when the word “gay” is used that way), he’s 17. You’d hope that by now he would either know better on his own, or have parents (or father, since I guess he’s not allowed to see Nicole, a non-Scientologist) who would teach him better than that. Sadly, Scientology does not seem to be a bastion of acceptance and tolerance. Nor does Tom.
Oh, my god…Bronson Pinchot’s comments. I had forgotten about that!
I hope he’s still alive.
I have to agree.
I don’t excuse his comments but we’re in an awkward place.
He’s a 17 yr old boy who grew up in a culture where the word gay means (stupid, ridiculous, foolish etc.) even South Park did an episode joking about this. Most people who use gay this way are, ironically, more open minded and supportive than their elders.
The way Tom mentioned it is very strange and does eek of homophobia but it seems more like the rep saw an opportunity to use misjudgment to gain some publicity. I dunno…I don’t want to condemn a 17yr old for a dumb mistake.
Also can everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, stop responding on Twitter like no one else can read your comments. Celebs act like they’re typing in invisible ink. Hello…we CAN read your stupidity.
I don’t consider it homophobic…I mean really…these words like the one above, and “addict”, and “allergic to” and “alcoholic” – all are used so loosely today to label people. Its sensationalizing a story where there is no story. But you know he is a sore loser and is an entitled brat.
The term gay the way todays youth uses it doesn’t mean homosexual. It means whacked, or dumb. He shouldn’t have to apologize for using the lingo of his peers.
but WHY does it mean whacked or dumb? You may not think about the implications, and teenagers likely don’t either, but that doesn’t wipe away the true reason behind it. Whether you believe it or not, the original intention when people started calling things ‘gay’ in a derogatory way was as a derisive commentary on gayness. You can close your eyes and pretend you live in a bubble all you want, but there is a history to the meaning of words. You can’t just reclaim that kind of language and pretend it isn’t offensive.
As I said up-thread, it is sadly something teenagers say. I don’t think it’s accurate to label it a homophobic rant and is more likely just the thoughtless tantrum of an entitled brat. But you can’t pretend that the word gay no longer means homosexual when it’s used derisively. That’s a cop out and it’s a fantasy.
Gay used to mean happy. We used to call my Aunt Gail Aunt Gay (because it was an easy transition from Gail to Gay) and, she was such a happy lady, it seemed apropos. However, somewhere along the line, people started reassigned meaning to the word and now it’s considered an insult. I don’t believe it’s reaching if one believes that the meaning of the word gay was adopted by a couple of homophobes to mean “stupid” or “something they hate.” When you think about it this way it is more offensive than innocuous.
@morticians
yeah, I may not have been clear, but that’s the point I was trying to make. The original original meaning aside, taking the term for homosexuals and using it to mean something negative is indeed offensive.
duly noted
@Lee, I gotcha. I picked up the ball and ran with it 😉
@Leena, appreciate your opinion even though it may differ from mine. (Trying to follow in the footsteps of the friendly Canadians and Dane 😉)
Oh please, what a non-story. If this is a ‘homophobic’ rant then South Park is a hate crime. Do I condone using the word gay in a derogatory fashion? No. Do I think this Cruise kid is anymore than a snotty celebribrat? No. But it’s just one of the many unsavoury aspects of teen culture.
This Krim dude is possibly one of the worst reps I’ve heard of. Okay, so he and Cruise have no professional relations anymore but good luck getting any future clients when you’ve made it perfectly clear that if they leave you you’ll air any dirty laundry between you. Idiot.
I agree with your assessment of the rep. Aren’t there confidentiality agreements that prevent them from disclosing this kind of stuff? I mean, it IS their job to represent them favorably, so he clearly isn’t fulfilling his job description. I also find it quite immature that he would do this to a 17 year old kid.
I didn’t even think of a confidentiality agreement. Good point. I just can’t get over how outrageously, self-sabotagingly unprofessional the rep is.
This was not a knee-jerk reaction on the rep’s part. You don’t put out an email like that unless there is further evidence about the kid’s attitude, etc. I am sure this has been brewing a long time. I, too, would warn others privately about an offensive client. I am guessing, especially given the kid’s upbringing in Scientology, he uses “gay” as a slur. And just because people and teens do it mindlessly doesn’t make it right. At his age he should know better.
I don’t understand the need to dumb down adolescents. It’s like that old adage “boys will be boys” in a new form, to excuse bad behaviour, bad attitudes, and indifference to social norms and sensibilities. Yep, everyone just dumbs the kids down, insults their intelligence, like that’s a favour to them instead of holding them to higher standards. Their apologists must be so proud of the future citizens they are shaping.
@hmmm, if you read the the other comments I’ve made on this thread you’ll see that I agree with the term being offensive. However, I feel the rep’s reaction was just as inappropriate as Connor’s behavior. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it his job as a rep to make his client look good (regardless of his true nature)? The man did quite the opposite, and should also be held accountable for how poorly he handled himself professionally.
@ MorticiansDoItDeader,
I’m confused. My response was not in reply to yours. And yes, I did read your well thought out responses and do agree with them except for the one here.
As I understand it from the blurb above, Krim was not a rep, but a booker. I’m also guessing he didn’t send the email until he cut all ties with Connor.
@hmmm, gotcha. I thought it may have been meant for the both of us, since I did say I thought it immature for the man to go after a 17 year old. My apologies. Anyway, if he is a booker I guess he wouldn’t be held to the same professional standards as a rep. However, I still think it foolish of him to call out a Cruise since it will, most likely, have a negative impact on his career.
in my neighbourhood there was a boy who always used homophobic rants. that was strange because his father was gay.
i dont know why i wrote this below this article about tom cruise and his son 😉
At least he didn’t jump on a couch or scream at Matt Lauer. Still, looks like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree when it come to stupid quotes.
He sounds like a rude jerk, but not a homophobe. More ignorant than anything else….
Agree – I can’t imagine he’s had great parenting or educating, not surprised he comes off this way.
I do think there are some weird attitudes in the Cruise household though. Tom’s earlier comments only reinforced my theory that he uses Scientology to “cure” himself of certain feelings.
Yeah, it’s corny to use the word “gay” as an insult, but those texts don’t seem homophobic to me. They just seem like a tantrum…in fact, he’s pretty restrained compared to other kids his age.
He’s a freakin’ teenager. The adult putting this out there should be embarrassed. What a baby, trying to take down a teenager publically. I have a friend who is a diehard Pats’ fan. He was devastated when the loss happened as it was so close. He was not in a joking manner right when the Giants won. And he was just in front of the TV, not at the game where it is so intense.
Sure, because teens shouldn’t be held responsible for their bad behaviour and its consequences. Better to feed into and reinforce the victim mentality so prevalent in our culture.
so now we’re going to go after teenagers for saying dumb stuff? That would be a full time job. Just say no.
Exactly. Worse is that Rep guy forwarding the text messages to other people. Immature much? Forward it to his Dad if you have an issue with it. But overall this isn’t a homophobic rant, it’s a childish rant.
What a brat.
I don’t think he’s homophophobic. Just a spoilt brat who is so entitled he can’t even stand his team losing a football game, and takes it personally if someone disagrees with him
He’s going to be the worst adult…
No worse than the adult attempting to brand a teenager a homophobe after baiting him into an argument because he’s been fired.
I hear teenagers using this `so gay` thing all the time without being able to give an explanation why. What makes a completely average bag `gay`?
I think both parties overreacted. The kid seems to be a hardcore football fan and I think the `joke` wasn`t timed very well and it wasn`t a good one. The kid obviously overreacted and should have been careful about his words ( see Gisele ). As much as I hate everything Tom Cruise related I think this is blown out of proportion.
GAY can be audited out, just like all other engrams, cancer, the common cold -all of it.
It was a jerk thing to say, unfortunately most 17-year-old boys are jerks so… I wouldn’t go as far as calling it homophobic.
However the rep seems douchey to me… like, who does that? bitter much?
Money really doesn’t buy class. I don’t know why this is surprising to me time and time again.
What’s more disturbing than the use of the word gay, is how angry he clearly is in his tweet. He seems like an entitled brat, I’m already cringing at how famous he will someday become.
Wow, that kid is adopted? He looks like Tom!
Scientology teaches that “gay” is an aberration and can be cured.
See John Travolta for how well this workd.
Kid is a chip off the old Scientology block.
I have a question: if the Co$ doesn’t recognize homosexuality, do John T and Tommy (who are thought to be closeted homesexuals)try to keep their jaunts with men a secret from the cult? Or does the cult know about them and help keep it from the public?
from the admittedly little I know about CO$, they likely know very well and even have documentation about any same-sex trysts Travolta and Cruise have. Maybe they tell their auditors or whatever as some sort of confessional or maybe they just have CO$ spies digging up the dirt, but I think that’s one of the ways they keep them in the cult. They own their secrets and thus have extreme power over them.
Gay meant in my Grans time ‘to be happy’, and until the day she died, she would refer to a good time as a gay old time.
In my youth it meant ‘something lame’.
Then it meant ‘a homosexual person’.
The meaning of words can change in a short period of time.
Personally I find that more interesting.
Indeed it is more interesting. I don’t make much fuss over the meanings of words nowadays but it is funny to see peoples’ reactions to certain ones.
I know he is just a kid, but his picture is totally freaking me out.
Something about his eyes. Just too intense for moi. (and not in a good way)
Got to love the Hollywood connections (nepotism), without it we wouldnt have GOOP, Angie, Jennifer etc, all favs on this site.
Stupid, inside joke but our group used to have a guy who dropped “that’s so gay” quite often, even though we have a few gay friends.
So a bunch of us started complimenting things by saying “OMG those pants are so gay!” and at last the guy asked us why we were doing it. To which one of our gay bff’s proudly proclaimed “because anything gay is obviously fabulous!”
Like I said, inside joke but still trying to take away the stigma…
I hate the super bowl, it always seems to bring out the worst in people, or at least have ever magazine and blog dig for a story.
“That was a gay ass [bleeping] tweet ”
This is not a rant. And I doubt it was even homophobic. It’s a synonym for “lame.” I’m a teacher and I hear all the kids using this (unfortunate) language. They’re being thoughtless with slang, not homophobic. One of my gay students even says it (which admittedly I think is odd). Kids are careless. Doesn’t make it right, but it also doesn’t make it homophobic. I’m also gay, so please no comments on how I’m supporting homophobia, etc.
Now, someone shoot me. I’m defending Cruise spawn.
*pulls out my rainbow paintball gun* 😉
Seriously. When I read “homophobic rant” I was expecting Mel Gibson-level of rage. Man, this is a slow news week in terms of celeb gossip huh? Where’s Demi and her whip-its when we need her?
@Jessica, I get where you’re coming from, but isn’t it sad that “gay” has become a synonym for “lame?”
Just an aside, but my friend has a daughter with Down Syndrome and he frequently say “that’s so retarded” to describe things he feels are “stupid.” It makes me sad to hear him say this around his daughter because I never want her to hear him say that, let alone associate it with her disability. Maybe im being overly sensitive, but I just can’t get on board with the use of the phrases “that’s so retarded/gay.” I think it’s offensive to gays and the disabled as groups. I can appreciate that you, as a gay individual, aren’t offended by it; but I’d imagine not everyone has such thick skin.
Teens have used the term “gay” for years. Still no excuse to act like STRAIGHT up little “BITCH” though.
I agree with many of the comments above – I don’t think the use of “gay” to mean ridiculous or stupid necessarily means one is homophobic, any more than it means you hate mentally disabled people if you throw around the word “retarded”.
However, it does probably mean that someone needs to explain to you that avoiding terms that some people may find hurtful costs you nothing and is a more gracious & courteous way to go through life than adopting a “Screw you, I can say what I want, don’t be so PC” attitude.
I agree that the people using those phrases USUALLY don’t HATE those groups, but I certainly feel like they’re looking down at them and feel they’re inferior. And I’m 100% with you on your second paragraph.
You can argue all day about whether this use of gay is derogatory or not, but either way, this kid appears to be an entitled little d-bag.
Hmm. That’s gay.
(This world is getting more and more friggin’ sensitive, I’m tellin’ ya…)
OK, since you two asked, roughly speaking, “God damn it” or “go to Hell” would be a curse, i.e. wishing/praying ill to befall the thing that offends you. “Lord help me” is a swear, what one of the 10 Commandments was about. And “F*** it!” is vulgarity. Purely academic, I guess, and certainly the word curse and swear have been used interchangeably to the point it’s probably meaningless.
So many words’ meanings get blurred. “Homophobic” is just another one. There is no *fear* of gays in Connor’s statement (though there seems to be in Tom’s). Demeaning, yes. Fearful, no. These days, the word seems to be corrupted to mean a prejudiced act against gays as “racist” means prejudiced act against other races.
Trivia: it puzzled me for a while how same word (“f****t”) could be both a highly offensive word to mean male homosexual, while also being an innocent word for cigarette in the UK. Turns out, for those that don’t know, the common origin is that it originally meant “bundle of sticks tied together” and effeminate men were considered unsuitable for hard labour and thus as useless as a bundle of sticks.
Where did my comment go?
Sounds like someone has a bit of a temper!
Isn’t Tomboy gay? It sounds to me like his comments from earlier in the day were overcompensating for something… like ill just throw the word gay out there so people don’t think i’m gay.. yeah ok whatever works for you Tom. Im from new zealand, it is a well known fact that when tom was here filming ‘the last samuri’ in the south island that he was bumping tails with MEN each night. The crew knew, the town knew. How do I know, my brother is gay, and one of his besties was a regular. 🙂
All the “gay” stuff aside…..
More importantly, has anyone checked on Mr. Krim?
As nutty as those CO$ are, it’s only a matter of time before they send out the super secret death squads. And they will kill off Mr. Krim’s career, follow him around and plant stories about him.
I was thinking the very same thing.
First of all, i never excuse someone’s behavior simply because they are a “kid” & it really bugs me when people do that. I’m not saying everything has to be punished, but as another poster said, this is a teaching moment. Second, this kid needs to grow a thicker skin if he is going to be a sports fan. Fans joke around with each other all the time when a team loses, and yes right after a loss. Grow up!
Anyone else think that Connor looks like he could actually be Tom’s biological son?
I do. He reminds me of Tom. Even his facial expressions are the same as Tom.
I have always thought that Connor looks like he could be Tom’s biological son…they have similarly shaped faces, the same lobeless ears, the same smiles, and those intense gazes. I bet there is an interesting story about his parentage.
I know this sounds probably oversimplistic, but Tom Cruise probably talked the way he did because, as previously mentioned, he possibly IS homosexual, so why wouldn’t logic render the way Connor speaks/tweets is possibly a dead giveaway that he could actually be homosexual?
In my experience, it’s usually the ones who use such language aren’t really homophobic, but rather the actual homosexuals. They stupidly think that if they loudly talk such smack that people will automatically assume such individuals “can’t possibly be gay,” when really the polar opposite is true.
I don’t think so. I’ve heard kids, teenagers say “that’s gay!” and “gay” this or that and they are not gay.
He’s a teenager! He’s going to say stuff like that, and lose his temper! This publicist or whatever just needs to grow up.
I feel bad for Katie and Suri because I think they will be in same spot as Nicole and their kids soon.
I’m not surprised Connor would take after his father anti-GLBTQ-wise. I don’t know much about their religion, but aren’t there “deprogramming the homosexual” seminars like some other fundamentalist religions have? I think using the word gay is derogatory like “you are such a gay loser” or “that’s so gay” instead of something positive like “my friend happens to be gay.” I just think using the word gay these days is like using the word faggot and that definitely is a harmful word. What about using the words slut or cunt? Neither are nice and are used to harm or belittle. So Connor’s use of “gay” in anger or frustration should not be waved off as some teenager stuff. Just my opinion.
Lord help, if my comments I said to friends got publicized I would be in serious trouble. I’ve said countless people and things were gay.
Everything is getting too freaking serious!!!He is just a damn kid…Since when did teens with no jobs need a publicist???
Methinks thou doth protest too much…
He’s got serious gay face, what’s he hiding from Xenu I wonder
Whatever…another Cruise kid. Of the three, Suri has the most charisma anyway, and she is not even a quarter of their age.
Wow Tom, way to raise respectful kids, and how they relate to adults,, Suri is going to be a hand full the say the complete least.
Homophobe? Oh, the irony.
Blame the cult.
Ummmmm, excuse me, isn’t everybody missing the point here?
1) This kid has a PUBLICIST? For what, pray tell? Straight away I think, oh for fuck’s sake, you’re seventeen, and a wannabe DJ. Talk about freakin’ ludicrous.
2) Secondly, I was seventeen once, and there is no way on God’s earth would I have spoken to anyone like that EXCEPT MY PEERS, and in private. This young upstart is talking to an ADULT like that? Knock me down with a feather. My dad would have given me a clip across the ear for speaking like that to a grown up…AND RIGHTLY SO. I don’t care how the kid talks to his mates – when you’re speaking to an adult, learn some freakin’ respect. And hello? Whose job IS it, to instil those values? Ahhhhh, yep, that’s you I’m looking at, Cruise.
3) What an entitled, rude, arrogant brat he comes across as. I don’t care what he said, he just looks like a total knob. Bah humbug – Hollywood has alot to answer for.
social media has transformed how people talk to each other…and kids of 17 don’t know anything else. He may be a brat, but he isnt the only one by far.
What a arrogant, spoiled turd.
I guess he hasn’t learned just how politically correct the world has become.
That may come with time, but for a DJ who hangs out with the crowd that DJ’s hang out with, it can be hard to get a normal world view of what may end up offending people.
A guy at CNN just got suspended for tweets that insinuated that men who liked watching other men in underwear commercials are wimps. Or those who wear pink head to toe are wimps.
That observation sound so incredibly tame that at first I thought it was a joke that he was suspended. But it was true.
When I was in high school / college, even in a room full of dudes and chicks, there would have been far much worse said, and nobody would have blinked.
I don’t know if Connor Cruise is just too insulated, or just being a normal teen in today’s world, but I don’t think I’d condemn a 17 year old kid who’s trying to fit into the DJ world for making a few mistakes.
It’s a question of culture too- where I come from- calling someone spazzy or spaz is highly offensive, but americans use is quite innoculously without a second thought. Do I think Americans are mentalists (is that a word)? No! I don’t think CC is homophobic- he’s just a teen being stupid.
I think he was a teen being stupid, while at the same time think with all oppression homosexuals experience ‘gay’ should not be used in such a way. I do not, however, think he was being intentionally homophobic. I do think he was being a douche who takes a football game way too seriously though.
Since the word gay means happy and has been allowed to become synonymous with same-sex attraction how can anyone legitimately object to it morphing into a synonym for lame…..???
Whatever
“That was a gay ass [bleeping] tweet . . . U don’t say [bleep] like that about my team the second they lose. Low.”
True. I don’t agree with the gay bit but as a passionate football supporter myself I agree that mocking a football supporter straight after their team has lost the Super Bowl (or its equivalent in any other code of football) is low. You just don’t do it.
give the boy a break! he’s only seventeen!!! how many of you used to say thoughtless things at that age, i wonder..
Does anyone know if Scientology is truly against homosexuality?
I think the PR agent’s reaction was kinda gay.
He should have said, ‘my gay black ass’; then there would be no doubt about what he meant…