Anderson Cooper's Queens of Comedy (Gay Icons): Griffin, Behar, Rivers, Diller

[Nikolaika77]

BETTY WHITE <3<3<3<3

[Dufoth]

I would fuck the shit out of Joan rivers!!!

[bagatcholon]

Andersoon Cooper is hot and charming.

[lifestandstillhere]

How funny that people in this thread are not LAUGHING but FIGHTING.

These are absolutely talented women. And the phrase "on the planet" is hyperbole--almost idiomatic like "on the road." We are not ACTUALLY walking on the road, but traveling.

[NobHillTheatreSFTV]

They're all incredible women!

[Atemporal]

Oh wow I didn't know who Phyllis was but the 'I'm glad I'm still alive' alive and her other bits (and at her age) really charmed me.

[callouschristian]

Anderson Cooper..."carved out of ivory soap"

I just lost my drink. Love love love Phyllis Diller. One of a kind!

[WarriorOfWriters]

I can't believe Phyllis Diller is still going, she looks feisty too :)

[Tomthestarhartnell]

I love Phyllis Diller so much, its so sad to see her grow old, but Its refreshing knowing that she is healthy and still looks good (in fact she looks better now than some of her looks in the 70s) and 100 times better looking than Joan and Joy

[visceralguy]

Joan's Fashio Police show is HYSTERICAL!!!

[sauceykat]

OMFG calm down people and stop overreacting to a comment I posted TWO MONTHS AGO. In my opinion, Joy Behar is not a gay icon. Your opinion differs. That's great. So what?

[jjaus]

Quote "On the planet". Funny how they are all Americans. Ridiculous. There are so many funny women in the world - particularly if you speak a language other than English like some of us! Ethnocentrism at it's best.

[lgbtTV4]

@jjaus I agree but Anderson didn't say that these are the 4 funniest women on the planet. He said that they were the "4 of the funniest women on the planet." That doesn't mean that there aren't other funny women, or even funnier women. He's simply saying these 4 are among the funniest (in his opinion).

But yes, I hate terms like "World Series" in US/Canadian baseball, which is hardly the world. "MIss Universe" is similarly stupid because I heard that Mercury has some pretty HOT women. :)

[mondezdurden]

@jjaus Well, Cooper meant these are the funniest women in the English Speaking world and considering stand up comedy started in America AND female stand up comediennes first started in America, all the others are following these legendary women, so get over it.

[fseurgdai]

i love how kathy griffin smiles.

[vnllawytchkltblndie]

Pardon me if this is overgeneralizing, but female comedians with the most fame and success have gay followings. I'm not saying it was a total coincidence, but if we're talking about true queens of comedy, aka women with *success and seniority* in comedy, It would be pretty hard for Cooper to find four women that fit that description that gays don't like. The best lady comedians are bound to be gay icons, regardless of whatever Cooper's sexual preferences are.

[Jsd8675]

Aww Phyllis is hanging on hard.... God Bless her... we only have a couple years left of her.

[GaaraSabuka]

ugh i just adore all the woman on that show that includes the adorable and extremely attractive anderson cooper who unfortunately out paths have not crossed due to age and country; such a small world yet its so large

[twinkie13st]

That one hilarious gang of cunts!

[FutureTrophyWife96]

I have a feeling the demographic watching this video my be interested in this: CHER AND GAGA ARE DOING A DUET!!! my inner gay man is trembilng with excitment! (and believe me, my inner gay man is pretty damn prominent considering my idols: Cher, Kathy Griffin, Joan Rivers, Fran Drescher, and well Andy Cooper of course!)

[GaaraSabuka]

@FutureTrophyWife96 HWAH what cher and gaga duet omg this cant be my mind is about to explode; do tell noble prophet where did you get you information from :D

[cooolness3]

Joy is not a gay icon. I'm sorry. She's just not. She's never been considered one.

[lgbtTV4]

@cooolness3 wrote "Joy is not a gay icon. I'm sorry. She's just not. She's never been considered one"

Oh? Define "gay icon," and why other entertainers fit the criteria but Behar doesn't.  See my previous post on this topic. Behar has a large gay following, frequently and regularly speaks out on gay issues, and has slammed homophobes -- both as a commentator on The View and her CNN show, and as a comedian. Why is she any less of an icon than, say, Judy Garland?

[cooolness3]

@lgbtTV4 I'm not taking away from the fact that she has done all that. She is an ally, for sure. I wouldn't take that away from her. I know that she speaks out on our behalf as well. At the same time, she doesn't have that status. At least not yet. I'm not sure exactly what makes you a gay icon, but there is something that Joy doesn't have that other gay icons like Kathy Griffin, Judy Garland, Liza Minelli, Cher, etc, have. When I think of gay icons, her name doesn't come up for me.

[Chintastic1254]

@cooolness3 I have to agree, She is not one of the top 50 that I would call gay Icons.

[RealPete]

@lgbtTV4 Because Joy isn't an icon of anything. Yes she's got a gay following... but "icon"? It seems to be tossed around a bit too easily don't you think? Look up "gay icon" on wikipedia.

[lgbtTV4]

@RealPete wrote "Because Joy isn't an icon of anything....Look up 'gay icon' on wikipedia"

---

And you haven't answered the question: What is a gay icon, and which criteria doesn't Behar fulfill? She's considered a gay icon here in New York, where she lives, so I'm not sure where your info comes from.

I read the Wiki articie ... so? Behar fits the description: "a public figure...who is embraced by many within... LGBT communities...[They] are predominantly female entertainers."

[lgbtTV4]

@RealPete wrote "It seems to be tossed around a bit too easily don't you think? Look up 'gay icon' on wikipedia"

---

Yes, it's too easy which why it's ironic (hypocritical) to refer to the Wiki article. That huge list is indeed too broad, yet it omitted many important names. So the fact that Behar is missing is meaningless. There are NO BROADWAY STARS, i.e. Ethel Merman, Kristin Chenowith, Idina Menzel, Patti Lupone, Jennifer Holliday. How can a gay icon list not have any musical stars???

[lgbtTV4]

@RealPete wrote "Look up 'gay icon' on wikipedia"

---

Why? The list has no Broadway musical stars or opera divas, i.e. Monserrat Caballe, Jessye Norman -- both genres with large gay followings. Other important omissions are: CELINE DION, Ryan Seacrest, Sal Mineo, Paris Hilton, GREG LOUGANIS, Diana Nyad, Bill Tilden, MONTGOMERY CLIFT, Chris Colfer, SYLVESTER, and ELEANOR ROOSEVELT. a 2010 CNN poll, "top five most iconic musician of all time," behind Michael Jackson and the Beatles?

[lgbtTV4]

@RealPete wrote "Look up 'gay icon; on wikipedia."

---

In addition to Montgomery Clift, I think the most egregious omission was openly-gay singer-actor LESLIE CHEUNG. In a July 2010 CNN poll of the "top five most iconic musicians of all time," he ranked #3, just behind Michael Jackson and the Beatles. He played a crossdressing opera singer in the Cannes Golden Palm winner, Farewell My Concubine, which won international acclaim. He also starred in Happy Together as one half of a gay couple.

[atmatheprophet]

If Anderson Cooper was an Ivory soap bar I'd bathe with him several times everyday.

[TITANICLUSITANIA]

Definitely the Queens of Comedy.

[sauceykat]

Okay, Joy Behar is not funny nor is she a gay icon.

[lgbtTV4]

@sauceykat wrote "Okay, Joy Behar is not funny nor is she a gay icon."

Define gay icon.

[sauceykat]

@lgbtTV4 Def. "Gay Icon": not Joy Behar

[visini14]

@sauceykat How is she not a gay icon?

[sauceykat]

@visini14 Kind of hard to prove a negative, but I'll start with:

-she doesn't have a big gay following

-she's not funny

-she's not trendy or hip or whatever

-she's not really known for anything outside of the View, and possibly her talk show

-she's not popular, nor does she have a 'cult' following

-she's not sexy or sensuous or bawdy

And most gay people I know (including myself) don't particularly like her--she's milquetoast at best, and annoying and unfunny at worst.

[visini14]

@sauceykat Well you cannot say that she isn't funny as a fact, because that is only one person's opinion. You don't need to be hip or trendy, because a lot of gay icons now are known, but not in the scene now. Because she isn't in anything other than the View and her talk show except for her recent cameo in Hall Pass. You don't have to be sexy to be an icon ex. Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Joan Rivers. Again that is just a your opinions. A couple of gay people don't represent the whole community.

[sauceykat]

@visini14 Out of curiosity,are you gay? Of course my opinion about whether she's funny or not is just my opinion, but to the point re: gay icon, she's not KNOWN for being funny, she's usually made fun of both in the gay community and just in general as being one of the squawking hens from the View. She isn't known for actively fighting for gay rights, other than the random lame joke about marriage & divorce on the view. You don't have to be ALL those things to be a gay icon but atleast 1 or 2

[visini14]

@sauceykat Well I don't see what that has to do with anything but yes. That is you opinion and I have a different one. I like her, and I think she is funny, but that is my opinion. Do I think of her as a gay icon? Mostly not. I think of her as much of a gay icon as Whoopi. They both are in favor of Gay marriage, and are supportive of the community, but really don't do anything. I mainly think of these to be icons: Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Lady gaga, Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, Kathy Griffin, ect.

[sauceykat]

@visini14 Exactly. Those examples you've given are generally considered to be gay icons by most of the gay community (and yes it does matter because really only gay people can determine who is a gay icon, although most people know who is a gay icon by word of mouth, etc.). (and some would argue that Cher and Cyndi Lauper is/was sexy). Usually gay icons are women (for the most part) who are sexy/naughty or go outside the conventional AND support gay rights, etc. (Gaga, Cher, Cyndi, etc.)

[visini14]

@sauceykat Cher and Cyndi still make good music and really that is all I care about, even though people think that it is weird that I like them because of my age. Yeah I know that is what Gay Icons are usually like, really I cannot think of any Gay Icons that aren't singers except for Ellen Degenerous(which can be debated whether or not she is).

[sauceykat]

@visini14 agreed. I do think that Kathy Griffin has become a gay icon (small "i") compared to Cher/Cyndi/Gaga/etc. with a capital I Icon.

[visini14]

@sauceykat Yeah, I like Kathy Griffin, and pretty much all of her fans are gays and women, but she really doesn't have as much power as Cher/Cyndi/Gaga.

[sauceykat]

@visini14 Agreed. Now if we could only come to some consensus on Madonna LOL. I think she used to be a gay icon but now she's sort of irrelevant.

[visini14]

@sauceykat Yeah, I think that a lot of people were confused when she just randomly started to talk with a British Accent, but she is irrelevant now.

[lgbtTV4]

@sauceykat

> she doesn't have a big gay following

Wrong. Go to a show of hers.

> she's not funny

Pointless and subjective. Neither was Judy Garland.

> she's not trendy or hip or whatever

Neither was Garland. Or Celine, etc.

> she's not really known for anything outside of the View, and possibly her talk show

And how is that different that Margaret Cho, James Dean, Celine, Susan Lucci, Greg Louganis, etc? This isn't recognized category.

[lgbtTV4]

@sauceykat

> she's not popular, nor does she have a 'cult' following

This is meaningless. According to what poll? Yet she has two shows, and her rare live shows regularly sell out here in NYC, with lots of gay fans. How many of your icons have two regularly paying gigs?

> she's not sexy or sensuous or bawdy

You obviously haven't seen her live shows, nor watch her CNN show. She's known for pushing the limits. Neither are Garland, Celine, Eleanor Rooselvelt, etc.

[lgbtTV4]

@sauceykat wrote "most gay people I know (including myself) don't particularly like her--she's milquetoast at best, and annoying and unfunny at worst"

---

So? I can say the same about Judy Garland. I'm not a fan but I acknowledge her cultural status. Plenty of gays who can't stand Margaret Cho, Barry Manilow or Peter Allen, and they're gay icons. "I know plenty of people" is pointless since it's a very limited sample. Here in NYC, a gay cultural capital, she's considered a gay icon.

[RickDrapertheMan]

@sauceykat Those are pretty stupid and shortsighted criteria. Most of them are simply subjective and says more about your own biases than Joy Behar. And "most people [you] know" has nothing to do with the gay people I know, or the gay community at large, so saying simply indicates your desperation (or ego). Finally, as someone else pointed out, your criteria excludes most opera singers and many Broadway stars, both of which have huge gay followings.

[IrrelevantNewsStuff]

@sauceykat Your list is moronic, and 1,5 are baseless. It excludes 3 of the biggest gay icons: Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and Bette Midler. And Behar is funnier, trendier (her shows are about discussing trends), and bawdier than those three. CNN has said that they're wary of her show just as they are of Kathy Griffin's appearances. You clearly know little about her so your egomaniacal rant -- as if you are an authority of gay icons -- is pointless. And I've seen drag queens do Behar.

[PennyDreadfuI]

@lgbtTV4 Joy is the only reason gay men watch The View... that and because we keep praying a stage light will fall and crush Elisabeth to death on air.

[laurensneakysmile]

@sauceykat

Yes she is

[sauceykat]

@laurensneakysmile are you a gay man?

[laurensneakysmile]

@sauceykat

No... but i take it you are and don't agree with the statement. btw i don't think Joy has a big gay following but she is indeed funny

[sauceykat]

@laurensneakysmile um, so why are you arguing that she's a gay icon?

[laurensneakysmile]

@sauceykat

When did i say she was? I said Yes she is, as in, yes she is funny. Geez you really should start reading people's post before making assumptions. What's your problem with Joy anyway?

[sauceykat]

@laurensneakysmile uh, then you need to be more clear when you write. I said she's not funny nor is she a gay icon and you replied with "yes she is".

[laurensneakysmile]

@sauceykat

Fine I'll be as clear as possible. I do not think Joy has a large homosexual following however I do think she's very funny. There, do I pass now?

[sauceykat]

@laurensneakysmile Yes, congratulations. You English talk reel good.

[laurensneakysmile]

@sauceykat

Good.. Love live Comedy Queen Joy Behar

[alicevana]

I must be out of the loop because I would look up to other guys for gay icons. I mean, a guy gay who wears dresses really should be called a man who wants to be a straight woman. I relate much more to men (accept for the whole "I think my own sex if physically revolting...."). I guess there really isn't any home for gays who like being men in gay subculture.

[lgbtTV4]

@alicevana You've confused "gay icon" with "gay role model." A gay icon is simply someone who is meaningful to the gay community. S/he need not be gay or male. Why are you sexist, excluding females from being icons when many have done so much for the community?

You're also confused about crossdressing. Only some do it for gender identity (aka wants to be a woman); these people are transgender. Others do it for fun, politics or professionally without any mental identification with women.

[alicevana]

@lgbtTV4 I am not sexist....that's dumb...pointing out there are a lot more female gay icons is not sexist at all...no offense, but that is retarded. I didn't say anything bad about women, never question if they should be paid equal and treated equal or anything of the sort. Why do you think I am sexist....who on earth did you jump to that.

[lgbtTV4]

@alicevana wrote

> I relate much more to men... I guess there really isn't any home for gays

> who like being men in gay subculture

You're incredibly ignorant of gay culture. Not only are those who crossdress -- for whatever reason -- a small minority, but there are even subcultures of hypermasculinity. The art of Tom of Finland is an example, as well as leather afficionados and other similar groups.

Furthermore, gender identity and sexual orientation are separate, albeit related, issues.

[alicevana]

@lgbtTV4 I guess I don't see the hypermasculinity in the media as much....you see more of the "queens." Anytime you hear about a guy who has some kind of feminine traits, the first comment is he might be gay. I don't think there is any doubt about that. But there seems to be a lot of gay icons who are females or more the queen like gay guys...maybe recently a few who are "guy" guys.

I also agree sexual orientation is separate from gender identity, but think they are related too much...

[MarcusTheGrand]

"You'll never hear Gerstein Bernstein"....LOL!!!!!

[musicalsoul08]

I love Kathy 'Senior sex tape' hahaha!!

[dizzin0nz]

mmmm andy coopy!

[olie171]

Someday this interview will be legendary.

[tennis89insomniac]

Kudos to all female comedienne who are ageless.

[Iceblooo]

Great to see all of these intelligent people together ! There is hope for the world !

[Edgrr]

too funny! love this stuff man anderson cooper is the stuff.

[retownsend]

None of these women are funny or pretty. They're all dumb hollywood hags.

[takerdust]

When was Behar ever funny?

[timm9]

More Diller less of the 3 others. 

[Antisyncretism]

um...they don't seem very funny.....

[Crittab]

I love all of this so much. So many hilarious people who have carved names for themselves. It's not easy to be a female comedienne, but these women are definitely trailblazers, especially Phillis Diller.

[Crittab]

@WikeddTung To be fair, they pick on themselves for getting work done as much as they pick on anyone else.

[lgbtTV4]

@Crittab That's especially true of Phyllis Diller, who is apolitical and basically mocks herself most of the time. The other 3 attack others as much as themselves, which is fine since their targets are often enemies of gays. While not a comedian, the ultimate in plastic surgery self-deprecation is gay icon Dolly Parton. I just watched a Biography episode on her and she is one of the most amazing people I've ever seen.

[Crittab]

@WikeddTung It wasn't a rebuttal, it was an observation. Besides, what Joy was really saying here is that a comedian can still be funny at any age, whereas someone whose fame relies on their beauty, like Kim Kardashian, has a time limit.

[Crittab]

@WikeddTung You're being way more defensive than necessary. I just have a different opinion than you do, it's not a big deal.

[bryguyf69]

@Crittab You're being way too kind. :) Man, talk about taking your simple comment(s) way out context and proportions! What s/he calls a "rebuttal," I call a conversation. Oh well, you tried. (pssssst ... don't reply or s/he might see a conspiracy!)

[lgbtTV4]

Is it a coincidence that Anderson Cooper chose these four women? :) All four are gay icons and favorites of drag queens to impersonate. They've all used gays in their acts and have participated in gay events. Amazingly, Phyllis Diller has been doing so since the 70's. There are others, of course, including Margaret Cho, Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Silverman, etc. It would have been even funnier if he had included a gay male among his "queens" -- just like the "VH1 Diva" concerts included Elton John.

[latelyThinking123]

@lgbtTV4 interesting point, but wasn't the entire purpose of this particular broadcast to feature WOMEN who do comedy...?

yes i agree that all of these ladies have large gay followings, but that's true of almost all woman comics, save for maybe sandra bernhard.

yes he could've had people like tina fey or amy poehler, but in all actuality they aren't Comics, they're more of actresses, not stand up

the only thing i would've like is like a younger comedian like chelsea handler or whitney cummings

[yougottagetagimmick]

@lgbtTV4 If they brought in a gay guy, it would have to be David Sedaris. :D

[MegaMarkhernandezc]

@lgbtTV4 Anderson is straight but you implying anyone's gay makes you a homo!

[lgbtTV4]

@MegaMarkhernandezc wrote "Anderson is straight but you implying anyone's gay makes you a homo!"

---

No, that's not makes me a homo. What makes me a homo is the fact that I fantasize about you in red Speedos as I lay naked in my bed. Sometimes, your legs are spread in nothing but a pink jockstrap...  In fact, I'm thinking about you naked on all fours as I type. Am I turning you on?

As for Anderson being straight, you obviously don't live in NYC as I do. Stay naive; it makes you even cuter.

[lgbtTV4]

@MegaMarkhernandezc And how do you know that Anderson is straight?  It's pretty well-known that he's gay and photos of him and his partner Ben are available on the web.

[nexypointy]

@lgbtTV4 sooo true! amen!