It seems Jonah Hill, the 22 Jump Street actor, has been getting a lot of press lately for something besides his upcoming movie. Over the weekend, Hill yelled “faggot” at a photographer who kept taunting and pestering the 30-year-old actor.
On June 3, Hill apologized for his error on The Howard Stern Show noting that what he called the reporter was wrong and hopes people can learn from his mistake.
“In that moment I said a disgusting word that does not at all reflect how I feel about any group of people,” Hill said. “I grew up with gay family members. I’m leaving here to go spend the day with one of my closest co-workers and best friend who is gay, who’s getting married, who I’m going to stand at his wedding. You know? I’m not at all defending my choice of words but I am happy to be the poster boy for thinking about what you say and how those words, even if you don’t intend them and how they mean, they are rooted in hate, and that’s bullshit. I shouldn’t have said that.”
That evening Hill also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he publicly apologized for his actions and words. He told the audience despite the fact he was a comedic actor, this situation should not be taken as a joke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMz80FKusUA
“The word I chose was grotesque and no one deserves to say or hear words like that,” Hill said to Fallon on his show. “I’ve been a supporter of the LGBTQ community my entire life, and I completely let the members of that community and everybody else down when I used a word like that this weekend. My heart’s broken and I genuinely am deeply sorry to anybody who’s ever been affected by that term in their life.”
Last year, Hill was a part of HRC’s Love Conquers Hate campaign to urge the International Olympic Committee to condemn Russia’s anti-gay laws. He tweeted out a photo of himself wearing the T-shirt with a caption saying,”Help us show Russia & the world that #LoveConquersHate. Visit http://loveconquershate.org and @HRC to see how you can help.”
Hill is says he hopes to become an example of how not to react if someone is in a similar situation as his.
“I’m sorry and I don’t deserve or expect your forgiveness, but what I ask is at home, if you’re watching this and you’re a young person especially, if someone says something that hurts you or angers you, use me as an example of what not to do,” Hill said. “Don’t respond with hatred or anger because you’re just adding more ugliness to the world.”
