Broadway stars, celebrities and journalists are among those rebuking “Good Morning America” host Lara Spencer for laughing during a Thursday segment describing Prince George’s ballet classes.
“Lara, really?” asked Tony-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell in a video posted to Instagram Friday to address Spencer’s segment, during which she paused for laughter after announcing the prince was enrolled in ballet, then advised Prince William to “see how long that lasts.”
Mitchell continued, “Some of us take ballet. Some of us win Tony Awards ’cause we took ballet. Miss thing, it’s 2019. Get a life!”
Tony-nominated Tony Yazbeck tweeted, “Wait, @LaraSpencer said what about ballet? I missed it but I can’t wait to hear. Grrrrrr.”
TV personality Scott Nevins noted, “I don’t think Lara meant it maliciously, but casual homophobia and bullying are just as inexcusable. Shaming a boy for dancing is tired, and laughing at him for having taste shows that you have none.”
In a video posted to Twitter, Rosie O’Donnel said, “OK, Lara Spencer, seriously? Laughing at boys who take ballet on channel 7, ABC? What’s up with that? Come on, Laura Spencer. Please.”
Captioning her video #Ballet4Boys, she went on to re-iterate Mitchell’s point that Tony winners take ballet — even the male ones.
“Dance and especially ballet is as great an athletic feat as any sport with balls. Boys who dance have a far greater chance at a career in dance than those who play football. Another reminder why morning TV is sexist gendered trash,” said Mother Jones editor-in-chief Clara Jeffery.
Broadway’s Josh Lamon declared her “officially cancelled” and Nev Schulman, host of MTV’s “Catfish,” announced, “I’m a boy and I love ballet. Dancing as a child with @NationalDance Institute changed my life for the better in so many ways.”
A representative for Good Morning America did not immediately return a request for comment but Spencer posted on Instagram, “My sincere apologies for an insensitive comment I made in pop news yesterday. From ballet to anything one wants to explore in life, I say GO FOR IT. I fully believe we should all be free to pursue our passions. Go climb your mountain-and love every minute of it.”
