I was out as a gay man and people knew that they would not hire openly gay people.
Lorne Michaels and Bernie Brillstein had kind of a thing where they did not hire gay people, so I never got to audition. All my friends did, and I was always kind of a standout at the Groundlings, but I was out.
That [was] the problem with being out back then was there were no guardrails. I mean, if somebody didn’t want to have you on their show, they just [didn’t have to]. They weren’t trying to seek out LGBTQ people back then.
…It’s taken a long time, but the SNL machine has kind of changed or shifted, and I know that there are people that have come out since.
Tim Bagley speaking to SiriusXM’s The Julia Cunningham Show about he couldn’t audition for SNL in 1989 because he was openly gay.
Related*
Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told…
We can’t rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That’s why we don’t lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?
Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated
