Alec Baldwin Shouldn’t Get ‘Free Pass’ After Using Gay Slurs, Says Anderson Cooper

Alec Baldwin recently went on a Twitter tirade that included a few homophobic remarks. The actor has since apologized for the comments and it looks like most people are ready to forgive him. Anderson Cooper isn’t one of those people.

Cooper wrote on Twitter today: “Why does #AlecBaldwin get a pass when he uses gay slurs? If a conservative talked of beating up a “queen” they would be vilified.”

After a report surfaced that Baldwin’s wife Hilaria was texting during James Gandolfini’s funeral(the report was probably wrong) Alec went on a violent tirade against writer George Stark. Baldwin called the Daily Mail writer a “queen” and said that he would “put my foot up your f**king ass, George Stark, but I’m sure you’d dig it too much.”

Baldwin issued an apology and tried to explain that his comments were not homophobic. Baldwin said that his comments had nothing to do with Stark’s sexual orientation.

Baldwin said: “My ill-advised attack on George Stark of the Daily Mail had absolutely nothing to do with issues of anyone’s sexual orientation. My anger was directed at Mr. Stark for blatantly lying and disseminating libelous information about my wife and her conduct at our friend’s funeral service. As someone who fights against homophobia, I apologize. I have worked, periodically, with numerous marriage equality organizations, especially over the past couple of years, to achieve the very rights that gay couples are earning by recent court decisions. I would not advocate violence against someone for being gay and I hope that my friends at GLAAD and the gay community understand that my attack on Mr. Stark in no way was the result of homophobia.

Baldwin’s Twitter rant and his subsequent apology come just a few days after Paula Deen was vilified after admitting that she used the N-word in the past. Deen has lost sponsorships, book deals, and has seen many stores drop her products. There are obvious differences between the two situations but one has to wonder, as Anderson Cooper does: Why does Alec Baldwin get a free pass?

Are you surprised that Alec Baldwin isn’t facing the same scrutiny as Paula Deen?

Why does #AlecBaldwin get a pass when he uses gay slurs? If a conservative talked of beating up a “queen” they would be vilified.

— Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) June 28, 2013