“The Daily Show” sounded off on a tabloid rumor suggesting Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei “may be gay,” playfully chalking up the gossip to “queerbaiting.”
Correspondent Troy Iwata made the unsubstantiated assertion during Tuesday’s monologue, where he suggested to host Jordan Klepper that the new Ayatollah was simply following Hollywood’s rulebook to garner attention.
“Well, Jordan, as the only gay person in the entertainment industry, I can assure you that the Ayatollah is not gay,” Iwata started off. “He’s obviously queerbaiting, and I don’t appreciate it.”
He continued: “Yes, it’s exactly what everyone in Hollywood does to a T. They take a straight man, and then just watch everyone get obsessed trying to figure out if he is indeed a little eh [gestures]. It’s so manipulative.”
While Klepper pointed out that this wouldn’t make sense in Iran, where the Islamic regime is “very homophobic,” Iwata doubled down on his stance.
“It doesn’t matter how homophobic the regime is. A good story is a good story. Think about it,” he said. “A closeted leader of a homophobic nation forced to lead after your father, who never accepted your lifestyle, is suddenly killed, and now you’re burdened with the responsibility to pass laws and uphold traditions that go against your true nature, when all you ever wanted to do was just feel that spotlight.”
After Klepper noted that Iwata’s pitch made him feel badly for the Ayatollah, the latter sounded off: “He’s not gay, Jordan! He’s just sucking you into this fake narrative by doing what every Hollywood TV show does. It’s so gross. I would only watch like, half of it.”
Later on, Klepper praised “queerbaiting” as a “very powerful” political technique and wondered why President Donald Trump hadn’t tried it.
“Donald is not going to pretend to be gay, Jordan, OK? He’s pretty gay already,” Iwata joked in response. “He’s not gay, he just tore down his wife’s office to build a ballroom.”
Iwata also cheekily defended that “queerbaiting” only works if people “want to have sex with you.”
Watch the full late night bit above.
“The Daily Show” airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.
