Joy Behar Spurs Olympic Skater Johnny Weir to Blurt 'I Think Jesus Was a Woman'

March 5th, 2010 5:59 PM

In one of those segments so beloved by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Tuesday's Joy Behar Show on CNN Headline News featured Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir. In the midst of jokey discusssion about how even fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi thought Weir was "too gay" for figure skating, Behar brought up Jesus and Parade magazine's controversial recent interview:

BEHAR: Ok, so he said you were too gay, A little too gay. And Elton John, by the way, says Jesus, he thinks Jesus was gay. So you’re in very good company.

WEIR: I suppose so. I think Jesus was a woman.

BEHAR: You do? Okay, well, that could make news, it’s possible.

Earlier, Behar had referred to two "nasty" Canadians who suggested there might need to be a "gender test" to figure out where Weir should compete:

BEHAR: But this -- the two Canadian commentators said that you`re mannerisms might hurt other men competing in skating saying that you should get a gender test. That`s nasty.

WEIR: It`s very nasty.

BEHAR: I mean -- you know --

WEIR: You know, like -- I`m a figure skater, I`m an athlete. I was at the Olympics representing the United States --

BEHAR: Yes.

WEIR: -- and myself and just showing everyone what I can do. And seven days after I actually finished the competition is when these comments surfaced. And I had to hold a press conference talking about my opinion about things and I`m totally an advocate of freedom of speech and freedom of expression.So I`m not hurt that the commentator said it. I just wish they would think before they actually said it. There are so many kids like me coming after me whose parents might repress them just because they saw what these guys said about me, that their kids are going to turn out to be like me.

BEHAR: Yes.

WEIR: And I think me is pretty fabulous.

BEHAR: You are fabulous and I love your Snooki hairdo, also. [Snooki is a cast member of MTV's reality series Jersey Shore.]

WEIR: Thank you, it's Marie Antoinette.

BEHAR: Oh, Marie Antoinette, not Snooki?

WEIR: No.

BEHAR: Oh, okay. So Snooki must have stolen it from Marie Antoinette also?

WEIR: I think so, but you know what? I don't know that much about Snooki. Is she cool?

BEHAR: That's okay. Don`t worry about it.

Earlier in the chat, Weir also suggested that he deserved the gold medal, instead of sixth. He suggested that skating is a "political sport," and there was only one spot on the medal stand for an American. It was an Evgeny Plushenko moment, but on this occasion, the I-was-robbed routine came from the home front:

BEHAR: You wanted the gold. Well, everybody wants the gold.

WEIR: Well, everyone wants the gold.

BEHAR: Yes.

WEIR: Well, I felt like that day I deserved it.

BEHAR: You did.

WEIR: And I was great. It was the best I had ever been. But figure skating is a judged sport, a political sport. And there was already one American assured a medal -- a medal spot and maybe they were saving room for the -- two Americans couldn’t be on that --

BEHAR: Well, that could be some -- maybe the choice is all political at times you know?

WEIR: Absolutely.

BEHAR: But you had a lot of controversies with the whole Olympic Committee. I mean, they`re a little nasty. Are these two Canadians --

WEIR: They're staid, I like to say.

BEHAR: They are very staid?

WEIR: Yes, just very rigid and frigid in some cases.