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Nigel Lythgoe Apologizes For Homophobic Remarks

May 29, 2009 09:00:51 by Britteny Elrick

So You Think You Can Dance judge, Nigel Lythgoe, recently got in trouble for some comments he made directed at a gay dancer who auditioned on Thursday night’s premiere. Mitchel Kibeland, who is straight, auditioned with a gay man,Misha Belfer, because they both needed dance partners. According to reports, Nigel freaked out and responded by saying, “I think you’d probably alienate a lot of our audience. We’ve always had the guys dance together on the show, but they’ve never really done it in each other’s arm’s before. I’m certainly one of those people that really like to see guys be guys and girls be girls on stage.” Keep reading forthe rest of the story…

Apparently, what we actually saw was only a fraction of what was shown on TV. After their second audition, Nygel said, “I don’t think you want to see two guys there and think male-female. , I’d like to see you both dancing with a girl. You know what, you might enjoy that, too.” FOX has since issued an apology to After Elton stating: “All dancers are aware when they audition they will be subject to the judges’ opinions. We apologize if any viewers were offended by their remarks.”

After defending his remarks, Nygel then issued this apology to the media: “I sincerely regret the fact that I have upset people with the poor word choices and comments I made both during the taping of the So You Think You Can Dance audition and on my personal status update. I am not homophobic and it was extremely upsetting for me to be classed as such. I have been forthright and consistent with my opinion, as a judge, that professional male dancers should move with strength and agility â⬔ like Gene Kelly and Rudolph Nureyev. I now realize how this could be misconstrued.”

He continues, “I have been a dancer, and involved in the dance world, for nearly 50 years. Professionally and personally, I believe the sexual orientation of an auditioner or contestant is irrelevant. All that said, the fact that I have unintentionally upset people is distressing to me and it is obvious I have made mistakes that I must learn from. I trust that my humor will be more sensitive and mindful moving forward.”

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5. So You Think You Can Dance: Katie Holmes To Dance For 100th Episode

Topics: FOX Reality TV Shows, So You Think You Can Dance |

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