The 'Merv Griffin Story' Story

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 9:46am

You can't libel someone after he's dead. Reporting the truth about someone's homosexuality is not libel anyway, but the FEAR of costly libel suits keeps the media from reporting about it anyway.

But Merv Griffin is DEAD. And he was GAY. Yet Hollywood can't deal.

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Reuters Drops Article About 'Gay' Merv Griffin

By E&P Staff

Published: August 18, 2007 2:15 PM ET

NEW YORK It started innocently enough with a story about late entertainer/talk show host Merv Griffin, who died this week, at The Hollywood Reporter's web site. Its opening line: "Merv Griffin was gay."

Then things got really interesting. The Reporter pulled the story -- by regular Ray Richmond, who once worked for Merv -- for awhile, then re-posted it under the heading, "Griffin never revealed man behind the curtain." What next? Reuters picked it up in its normal entertainment feed and then, after protests (presumably), it pulled the story, with this explanation: "This was a story from The Hollywood Reporter that ran as part of a Reuters news feed. We have dropped the story from our entertainment news feed as it did not meet our standards for news. GBU Editor."

By this time, of course, Yahoo had carried the story, via Reuters, with the frank headline, "Merv Griffin died a closeted homosexual." And a Reuters blog still carried the first two paragraphs, along with reader's comments, such as: "I was just reading the article about Merv Griffin being a closeted gay. Wow! What a way to punch a dead man in the stomach!"

Many obituaries this week had noted, in passing, that Griffin had been sued by men a few years back, one for palimony and the other for sexual harassment, but left it at that.

The story currently posted at The Hollywood Reporter follows. It is currently the #1 most popular story on the site. Hollywood Reporter is a sister publication of E&P.

[The original article can be found at the bottom of the article at the link.]


Reuters Drops Article About 'Gay' Merv Griffin

Updated On: 8/20/07 at 09:46 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 9:48am

Andy Towle's take on the proceedings:
Merv Griffin's Gay Shame Becomes The Hollywood Reporter's

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 9:49am

As long as people (even seemingly open-minded people) take offense at being called gay this will be par by for the course.

Accusing someone of being gay is one of the worst things you can do in this country (and on this board).

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 9:50am

And an excellent analysis from QueerTwoCents, which calls this a "watershed moment" for tyhe American media in terms of it's handling of gay lives.
Truth About Merv Griffin In 'Jeopardy'?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 9:57am

Oh, Kringas, you're even gayer than Merv Griffin with Ethel Merman and Ann Miller on his show, BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 9:59am

Thank you! With each passing year I strive to be more and more gay.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:02am

And someday, I'm sure, you'll be as gay as I am --or maybe gayer!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:02am

Careful, there's a tipping point after which you're so gay you're straight. Like Rip Taylor.

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:03am

What a hurtful and libelous thing to say.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:05am

Rip Taylor used to be on Merv Griffin all the time, didn't he?

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:05am

Was that too subtle?

Updated On: 8/20/07 at 10:05 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:07am

Yesm MissP. In many ways Merv Griffin MADE ME as gay as I am.

Maybe I should sue the Estate...

Anyone want to join me? We could make it a classy-action suit.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:10am

Forget the suits. I say wear capri pants and halter tops!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:11am

Oooooooo, delish!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:25am

Very smart and summery!

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:26am

All joking aside, my problem with Merv Griffin isn't that he was gay and chose to "hide" it. (He was, afterall, of a certain generation, so I can at least try to be somewhat understanding and forgiving.)

I have had zero respect for this man for decades because friends of mine "in the biz" came back from parties at Merv's 25 years ago and told me that Merv was going after 14-year-old boys. And I can't be understanding or forgiving of that.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 11:01am

No role model, he. Still, you gotta smile at anybody who picks Eva Gabor for his beard.

Had to share a lotta laughs, NB. "I get alergic smelling hay! You get a stiffy with a farmboy IN ze hay!"

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 11:04am

Auggie, this is a side of you I have never seen before. Where have I been? (Please continue!)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 11:54am

Didn't Merv give Ryan Seacrest his start?

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 12:08pm

And a couple of happy endings, too.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 12:08pm

The Signorile commentary at Towleroad is on the money. It's preposterous, the idea of advertisers "protecting" a dead man's reputation when everyone in Hollywood knew of Merv's proclivity and hardly hidden behavior. If Cary Grant can be outed -- a heart throb actor -- why can't a chubby man in a caftan who giggled about good dish and created some profitable quiz shows? What are they afraid of, Focus On Family denouncing JEOPARDY? (Wait till Alex Trebek is no longer with us...)

Oh -- and doesn't anyhone rememberthe Vanna White lesbian scandals? The book about her three-ways? She as "hand-picked" by Mr. Merv. He had an eye for birds of a feather.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 2:21pm

It's a true measure of the man's power that he is able to continue the facade from beyond the grave.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 2:31pm

He was in many way one of the most powerful people in Hollywood.

Because he became a MOGUL.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 2:42pm

not only that, he gets his boy toy to host the emmys FROM THE GRAVE!!!!!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 3:40pm

He was even more powerful than many moguls of his vintage, because he was always a very public commodity -- a visible brand -- pre-Trump, with Trump-like ability to make things happen. And a midas touch. But nNot a suit, not a man behind a conference table -- an entertainer.

What's not surprising, really, is this entire conversation. Who didn't say, behind the scenes, "well, as soon as Merv dies, his gayness will be prominent..."