HOLLYWOOD - TV talk-show king Jay Leno has come under fire for asking actor Ryan Phillippe to give him his "gayest look."
Phillippe recently revealed his first paid acting role was as a gay teen on soap One Life to Live, and comic Leno decided to poke fun at his admission when he was a guest on his late-night show recently.
He asked an embarrassed Phillippe, "Can you give me your gayest look? Say that camera is Billy Bob... Billy Bob has just ridden in shirtless from Wyoming."
But the joke has backfired on him--Tony-winning Avenue Q star Jeff Whitty is one homosexual who took offense.
In a post on his popular blog, the theater star blasts, "Would you ask a guest to make their 'blackest face?' Their 'Jewiest face'?"
Elsewhere, a site has been set up for gay rights activists and those shocked by Leno's joke to respond to the host.
The My Gayest Look site features people giving Leno visual pointers of how his comment made them feel.
The role Phillippe played on One Life to Live made TV history--it was the first time a U.S. soap had featured an openly gay character.
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