Kristen Stewart Calls Herself ‘So Gay’, Takes Shot At Trump On ‘SNL’ Debut
Kristin Stewart’s debut performance as last night’s host on SNL has the world talking. While many are focused on the actor’s accidental use of the F-word during her opening monologue, fewer are paying attention to another word Stewart used in her speech; “gay.”
Stewart began her monologue by referencing the 8th anniversary of Twilight hitting the iTunes store, before confessing she was nervous about her SNL debut. This was mostly, according to the actor, because she knew Donald Trump would be watching.
Much has been made of the president’s penchant for television over the past few weeks, and the frequency in which he tweets about SNL suggests he is a regular viewer.
Stewart revealed that she knows Trump is not a big fan of hers, before showing a series of tweets the president sent off in response to her tumultuous relationship with her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson.
In the tweets, Trump repeatedly refers to Stewart as a cheater while pleading with Pattinson not to get back together with her. Stewart suggested the reason behind this is that Trump is in love with the Twilight heartthrob. She then continues with a personal message to the president.
“Donald, if you didn’t like me then, you’re really probably not going to like me now, ’cause I’m hosting SNL and I’m like, so gay dude.”
The statement got massive applause from the audience.
While Stewart’s sexuality has been a popular topic among the media since she broke up with her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, she has, until now, refrained from publicly labeling herself as any one sexual orientation.
In an interview with Elle UK, Stewart referred to Alicia Cargile, who she was dating at the time, as her girlfriend. In the same interview, the actor also said that dating a girl forced her to be more open in her relationships than when she dated men.
“To hide this provides the implication that I’m not down with it or I’m ashamed of it, so I had to alter how I approached being in public. It opened my life up and I’m so much happier.”
As the Huffington Post reported, more and more young people are choosing not to label themselves as “straight,” “bisexual” or “gay.” A 2016 study found that 35 percent of millennials (aged 21-34) identify as something other than straight, whereas in generation z (ages 13-20), the percentage increases to 52 percent.
It has been noted that more young people are seeing sexuality as a fluid concept and choosing not to label themselves.
While the increase of LGBT equality may mean the use of these terms is no longer as necessary as it once was, the Huffington Post noted that the use of the word “gay,” especially by an actor as high profile as Stewart, on a platform as visible as SNL, can still be useful for increasing awareness during difficult times for the LGBT community.
Thousands attended a rally outside the iconic Stonewall Inn in New York City Saturday afternoon to stand in solidarity with those affected by Trump’s travel ban, while protesting the leak of an order which aimed to change legislation to allow discrimination against LBGT people on religious grounds.
While it is still unclear whether the Trump administration plans to put their support behind the order, it’s mere existence has shocked the LGBT community. It is clear there is a long road to equality; so vocal allies are needed now as much as ever.
Watch Kristen Stewart’s entire opening monologue below.
[Featured image by Jordan Strauss/ AP Images]
