Robin Thede is calling out a media outlet’s misleading headline. The comedian, actress and writer took to X to clarify a Vulture.com report that came out of its recent Vulture Fest 2023, which read in its title that the “A Black Lady Sketch Show” creator “doesn’t do straight men.”
“Had a great time at Vulture fest but this clickbait is meant to get me canceled and I’m pissed,” Thede’s post reads.
The multi-hyphenate star took part in Vulture’s annual pop culture event over the weekend, participating in the Los Angeles panel, “Robin Thede Tells Us How to Write Comedy Gooder.” During the Saturday conversation, Thede gave her critiques on three sketches, breaking down certain rules and techniques of comedy, including the use of “straight men.”
The term “straight man” in comedy has nothing to do with sexuality or gender; the term is used for the person who often sets up the joke. While the straight men rarely get to say the joke themselves, Thede explained her process during the panel: “You get jokes even as the straight person because you’re a sketch performer. Your job is to make people laugh. I don’t believe that straight men should ever not have jokes.”
Vulture’s headline about it, “Robin Thede Doesn’t Do Straight Men,” rubbed her the wrong way.
“I said we didn’t believe in the ‘straight man’ character in sketch: meaning the stick-in-the-mud foil to a big, broad character,” she wrote on X. “This has NOTHING to do with gender or sexual identity.”
In her replies, Thede continued, writing that she usually “never” speaks out about bad press unless the press is “wildly inaccurate or meant to harm.” Thede wrote that she believed this instance was “both.”
“You publish a headline,” she added, “that is meant to publicly out me as a ‘joke?!’ When members of the LGBTQ+ community are still persecuted daily throughout the world for simply existing?! HOW DARE YOU.”
Had a great time a Vulture fest but this clickbait is meant to get me cancelled and I’m pissed. I said we didn’t believe in the “straight man” character in sketch: meaning the stick-in-the-mud foil to a big, broad character. This has NOTHING to do with gender or sexual identity. https://t.co/aKnrr0OREq
— Robin Thede (@robinthede) November 12, 2023
She went on to write that the outlet should apologize to her, every member of the gay community and those who took her class, wondering, “WHAT DID I DO TO Y’ALL EXCEPT TEACH AN AMAZING COMEDY WRITING CLASS FOR FREE.”
Thede has not publicly commented on her sexuality.
Vulture’s headline has since been updated to read “Robin Thede Believes Everybody Should Get Jokes.”
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