Jonah Hill had to go on a bit of an apology tour earlier this week after TMZ got hold of footage of him yelling, “Suck my dick, you faggot,” at a photographer. He was keen to stress that, “I’m happy to take the heat for using this disgusting word. What I won’t allow is for anyone—it would break my heart to think that anyone—especially with all the work that I’ve done and all the loved ones that I have—[would think] I would be against anyone for their sexuality.”
It was particularly bad timing for Hill, whose sequel 22 Jump Street hit UK cinemas this week and will be released in the US on Friday.
It was inevitable that at some point his co-star, Channing Tatum – himself known for his support of gay rights – would be asked about the controversy. Tatum decided to speak up during a join interview with Hill for the US show, Extra.
Jonah apologised again, saying, “It’s just about owning up to when you mess up in life, and hopefully some people can learn from mistakes that I’ve made in my life and that’s it.”
Tatum then jumped in, adding, “I’ll jump in and just say that I think most of the time when people have to go on and sort of apologize for something it might not come off all that well because it’s not actually like what they mean. I can honestly say that is not who he is. It came off well and he did it well because he really means it, that wasn’t who he was that day.”
Although many people seem prepared to forgive Hill for his indiscretion, many others feel that despite his series of apologies, he shouldn’t be let off the hook for using the gay slur in such an offensive manner. The detractors point out that if he’d used a racial slur, he’d almost certainly have faced much greater condemnation.
Take a look at the clip of Tatum supporting Jonah below.