Terry Sweeney, the first openly gay cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, is denouncing the show’s “homophobic” treatment he allegedly received back in 1985.
Sweeney is one cast member who is not often spoken of, having been dismissed after only a season. But he not only was the first openly gay member of SNL, he was also the first openly gay actor on network TV.
Speaking to Vulture, the forgotten comedian did not blame SNL chief Lorne Michaels for how he was treated during his one season. Indeed, he gives Michaels credit for hiring him in the first place.
“I give Lorne credit for hiring me. He supported me. He never did anything homophobic toward me — never,” Sweeney said.
“I’m sure he had his own pressures from the network. After that season, everybody was looking like, Okay, you failed. We brought you back, and now you failed. Well, that’s the end of…
