“Your comedy has a gay edge to it, and I think it’s going to make Johnny nervous, so I’m going to cancel you.”
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The actor and comedian recently appeared on the Allison Interviews podcast to discuss his accomplished career, and he revealed to host Allison Kugel that he was once cut from appearing on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show for being gay.
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Cantone says the incident happened in 1986, after he was booked to appear on the show and spoke to the talent coordinator.
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“When he saw me, he said, ‘Oh my god, you’re amazing! We are going to shape six minutes for you,’” he recalled.
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“Then he looked at the video again, because he filmed it that night, and he said, ‘You know what? Your comedy has a gay edge to it, and I think it’s going to make Johnny nervous, so I’m going to cancel you.’”
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In the interview, Cantone also opens up about the passing of fellow SATC star Willie Garson, who died last year at the age of 57. He had some touching thoughts to share about making “gay history” with the late actor.
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Watch the interview here.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/larryfitzmaurice/mario-cantone-tonight-show-cut-gay
